Quebec ready to crack down
(Quebec) A draft regulation has just landed on the desk of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, to ban perfumes in vaping products, whose popularity is growing among young people. Its adoption is expected in the coming weeks.
The Direction de la santé publique presented this project to him last week, which followed recommendations made in August 2020.
The regulation of the vaping industry is an issue that drags on in Quebec City, delayed among other things by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legault government said in 2019 that it intended to tighten the screws and ban perfumes, but it had not yet presented any new regulatory framework. A draft regulation is finally on the table and is in the process of being adopted.
The office of Minister Christian Dubé confirms that the document is in his hands, without wishing to comment on its content. "We will take the time to analyze all the details, and we will communicate in due course," he told La Presse.
In principle, the draft regulation should be presented to the Council of Ministers and, as is the procedure, published
in the Gazette officielle du Québec for adoption.
In a 2020 report, Public Health made seven recommendations to better regulate the vaping industry.
So far, the Legault government has given the green light to only one of them: taxing vaping products,
a measure that will come into effect this fall.
"The effects of vaping, particularly among young people, are of great concern to us," says Minister Dubé's office. He worries that a new generation will become addicted to nicotine because of these products.
We want to go further with other recommendations. It is precisely for this reason that Public Health presented us in the last few days with a draft regulation to put in place certain other measures.
Office of Health Minister Christian Dubé
When the Public Health report was tabled, Christian Dubé reacted by saying he wanted to "quickly tackle certain measures in particular" that were recommended to him:
Admittedly, Ottawa already limits the concentration of nicotine to 20 mg/ml, but Quebec government inspectors do not have the power to enforce the rule, and Health Canada is not very active on the ground. As a result, products up to 50 mg/ml are still available on the market. A Quebec-specific regulation would allow inspectors to crack down on this illegal sale.
The growing range of flavours – from vanilla to piña colada – contributes to the popularity of the products.
Up for 10 yearsVaping has been on the rise "meteoric" among young Quebecers for 10 years, revealed the Institut national de santé publique du Québec in October. Nearly one in five teenagers now vape, even though the sale of these products is prohibited to minors. And among these 15- to 17-year-olds, 33% do it every day. A similar proportion is observed among young adults.
According to a survey by the firm Léger conducted in December for the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, 28% of the 510 people surveyed, aged 17 to 25, say they vape at least occasionally (26% for cigarettes). 93% believe that vaping is a problematic phenomenon in their age group.
In early February, Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone followed Minister Christian Dubé at the Salon bleu about the regulation of the vaping industry. He blamed her for dragging her feet. "This government, which is in its fifth year, has still done nothing to reduce the consumption of this junk. And I repeat, it's junk! " he said. The minister responded by saying he wanted to "do things in order"
and consult with his party's caucus before acting.
In December, Finance Minister Eric Girard announced that Quebec will follow the lead of the federal government, which introduced a tax on vaping productson October 1.
The Quebec tax will come into effect this fall. It will be the same as the federal one: $1 per 2 ml for containers of less than 10 ml; for larger containers, $5 for the first 10 millilitres and $1 for each additional 10 mL. Vapers will therefore see the amount of taxes double this fall. Quebec plans to raise $40 million per year.
The Legault government has never been warm to another of Public Health's 2020 recommendations, the one to "establish a sales permit for vaping products and, for the sake of consistency, [another] for tobacco products." Quebec fears
the administrative burden of such an operation.
The Direction de la santé publique presented this project to him last week, which followed recommendations made in August 2020.
The regulation of the vaping industry is an issue that drags on in Quebec City, delayed among other things by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legault government said in 2019 that it intended to tighten the screws and ban perfumes, but it had not yet presented any new regulatory framework. A draft regulation is finally on the table and is in the process of being adopted.
The office of Minister Christian Dubé confirms that the document is in his hands, without wishing to comment on its content. "We will take the time to analyze all the details, and we will communicate in due course," he told La Presse.
In principle, the draft regulation should be presented to the Council of Ministers and, as is the procedure, published
in the Gazette officielle du Québec for adoption.
In a 2020 report, Public Health made seven recommendations to better regulate the vaping industry.
So far, the Legault government has given the green light to only one of them: taxing vaping products,
a measure that will come into effect this fall.
"The effects of vaping, particularly among young people, are of great concern to us," says Minister Dubé's office. He worries that a new generation will become addicted to nicotine because of these products.
We want to go further with other recommendations. It is precisely for this reason that Public Health presented us in the last few days with a draft regulation to put in place certain other measures.
Office of Health Minister Christian Dubé
When the Public Health report was tabled, Christian Dubé reacted by saying he wanted to "quickly tackle certain measures in particular" that were recommended to him:
- "prohibit the sale of vaping products with a flavour or aroma other than tobacco, as is the case for tobacco products";
- "Limit the maximum nicotine concentration of all vaping products to 20 mg/ml and regulate the capacity of tanks and the maximum volume of vaping liquid bottles."
Admittedly, Ottawa already limits the concentration of nicotine to 20 mg/ml, but Quebec government inspectors do not have the power to enforce the rule, and Health Canada is not very active on the ground. As a result, products up to 50 mg/ml are still available on the market. A Quebec-specific regulation would allow inspectors to crack down on this illegal sale.
The growing range of flavours – from vanilla to piña colada – contributes to the popularity of the products.
Up for 10 yearsVaping has been on the rise "meteoric" among young Quebecers for 10 years, revealed the Institut national de santé publique du Québec in October. Nearly one in five teenagers now vape, even though the sale of these products is prohibited to minors. And among these 15- to 17-year-olds, 33% do it every day. A similar proportion is observed among young adults.
According to a survey by the firm Léger conducted in December for the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, 28% of the 510 people surveyed, aged 17 to 25, say they vape at least occasionally (26% for cigarettes). 93% believe that vaping is a problematic phenomenon in their age group.
In early February, Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone followed Minister Christian Dubé at the Salon bleu about the regulation of the vaping industry. He blamed her for dragging her feet. "This government, which is in its fifth year, has still done nothing to reduce the consumption of this junk. And I repeat, it's junk! " he said. The minister responded by saying he wanted to "do things in order"
and consult with his party's caucus before acting.
In December, Finance Minister Eric Girard announced that Quebec will follow the lead of the federal government, which introduced a tax on vaping productson October 1.
The Quebec tax will come into effect this fall. It will be the same as the federal one: $1 per 2 ml for containers of less than 10 ml; for larger containers, $5 for the first 10 millilitres and $1 for each additional 10 mL. Vapers will therefore see the amount of taxes double this fall. Quebec plans to raise $40 million per year.
The Legault government has never been warm to another of Public Health's 2020 recommendations, the one to "establish a sales permit for vaping products and, for the sake of consistency, [another] for tobacco products." Quebec fears
the administrative burden of such an operation.
