Say goodbye to flavoured vapes in Quebec
Watermelon and passion fruit vapes are on the verge of extinction with the flavour ban that came into effect Tuesday across Quebec. While some rushed to buy them before the ban, others are already considering turning to the illegal market to get them.
"Do you have a banana vape?
"No, we've been out of stock for two weeks. »
At the Vaporus e-cigarette store on Saint-Denis Street, in the heart of downtown Montreal, customers rushed to buy the latest flavoured e-cigarettes. As of Tuesday, the sale of vaping products offering flavours other than tobacco is now banned throughout Quebec.
I want to quit smoking and when I saw that this was the end of flavors, I told myself that I was going
to buy myself a banana vape for the last time.
Mathieu Laplante, met at the Vaporus boutique
"Customers are discouraged," adds Médéric Potvin, an employee at Vaporus. "Most of my friends and I are going to stop vaping, because the flavour of tobacco is not delicious," says the young man with a smile. He believes that older people will continue to vape. "They're already more likely to take on the tobacco flavour," he says.
At the Couche-Tard store located at the corner of Saint-Denis and De Maisonneuve, passion fruit, strawberry and watermelon vapes gave way Tuesday to tobacco-flavoured ones. "We explain to customers that it's a law that has been passed,
but they hope to find it elsewhere," says one employee.
Jules Pichot et Lionel Courchesn
Rencontré au cégep du Vieux Montréal, Lionel Courchesne compte se procurer illégalement des vapoteuses à saveur de litchi, ses préférées. « Je pense que ça va juste augmenter le marché noir. Une dépendance, ce n’est pas quelque chose que tu peux régler du jour au lendemain », dit-il. Le jeune homme de 18 ans a vapoté pour la première fois à l’âge de 14 ans. « C’est sûr que ça va nous pousser à nous tourner vers des vendeurs illégaux », ajoute son ami Jules Pichot, à ses côtés.
Combatting youth vaping"We're happy because the regulations will help combat youth vaping," said Francine Forget Marin, director of health affairs and research at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec.
Nine out of ten young vapers mention that flavours are an important reason that pushed them to vape and continue vaping, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the foundation among Quebecers aged 16 to 24.
Half of youth said they would quit vaping if flavours were not available.
Francine Forget Marin, Heart and Stroke Foundation
In addition to the ban on perfumes, Quebec limits the nicotine concentration of vaping products to 20 milligrams per milliliter. In addition, vapes can no longer have an appearance that may be attractive to minors, such as the shape of a toy or a character.
As of Tuesday, the sale of vaping products offering flavours other than tobacco is now banned in Quebec.
"This is good news," says Ms. Forget Marin. She clarifies that vaping is linked to respiratory problems and an increase in blood pressure. "Vaping and smoking at the same time has an increased risk of stroke and heart attack," she says.
Nicotine is also harmful to developing brains, she adds.
Countering the illegal marketFor its part, Imperial Tobacco Canada said it was "very concerned" about the ban on flavoured vaping products in Quebec. "What we deplore is the fact that this unilateral approach will certainly have negative impacts on adult vapers looking for a less harmful alternative to cigarettes and will at the same time enrich the illegal trade," Eric Gagnon, vice-president of legal
and external affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada, said in a statement.
It calls on the government to ensure compliance with its new regulations by creating an ACCESS Vaping program. In recent years, the Government of Quebec has set up the ACCES Tabac and ACCES Cannabis programs, which are entirely dedicated to fines, investigations and seizures related to the illegal tobacco and cannabis trade.
"We hope that the Quebec government will look into the matter and take the necessary measures to enforce the new regulations and apply the necessary penalties to merchants who contravene the law," said Mr. Gagnon.
"Do you have a banana vape?
"No, we've been out of stock for two weeks. »
At the Vaporus e-cigarette store on Saint-Denis Street, in the heart of downtown Montreal, customers rushed to buy the latest flavoured e-cigarettes. As of Tuesday, the sale of vaping products offering flavours other than tobacco is now banned throughout Quebec.
I want to quit smoking and when I saw that this was the end of flavors, I told myself that I was going
to buy myself a banana vape for the last time.
Mathieu Laplante, met at the Vaporus boutique
"Customers are discouraged," adds Médéric Potvin, an employee at Vaporus. "Most of my friends and I are going to stop vaping, because the flavour of tobacco is not delicious," says the young man with a smile. He believes that older people will continue to vape. "They're already more likely to take on the tobacco flavour," he says.
At the Couche-Tard store located at the corner of Saint-Denis and De Maisonneuve, passion fruit, strawberry and watermelon vapes gave way Tuesday to tobacco-flavoured ones. "We explain to customers that it's a law that has been passed,
but they hope to find it elsewhere," says one employee.
Jules Pichot et Lionel Courchesn
Rencontré au cégep du Vieux Montréal, Lionel Courchesne compte se procurer illégalement des vapoteuses à saveur de litchi, ses préférées. « Je pense que ça va juste augmenter le marché noir. Une dépendance, ce n’est pas quelque chose que tu peux régler du jour au lendemain », dit-il. Le jeune homme de 18 ans a vapoté pour la première fois à l’âge de 14 ans. « C’est sûr que ça va nous pousser à nous tourner vers des vendeurs illégaux », ajoute son ami Jules Pichot, à ses côtés.
Combatting youth vaping"We're happy because the regulations will help combat youth vaping," said Francine Forget Marin, director of health affairs and research at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec.
Nine out of ten young vapers mention that flavours are an important reason that pushed them to vape and continue vaping, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the foundation among Quebecers aged 16 to 24.
Half of youth said they would quit vaping if flavours were not available.
Francine Forget Marin, Heart and Stroke Foundation
In addition to the ban on perfumes, Quebec limits the nicotine concentration of vaping products to 20 milligrams per milliliter. In addition, vapes can no longer have an appearance that may be attractive to minors, such as the shape of a toy or a character.
As of Tuesday, the sale of vaping products offering flavours other than tobacco is now banned in Quebec.
"This is good news," says Ms. Forget Marin. She clarifies that vaping is linked to respiratory problems and an increase in blood pressure. "Vaping and smoking at the same time has an increased risk of stroke and heart attack," she says.
Nicotine is also harmful to developing brains, she adds.
Countering the illegal marketFor its part, Imperial Tobacco Canada said it was "very concerned" about the ban on flavoured vaping products in Quebec. "What we deplore is the fact that this unilateral approach will certainly have negative impacts on adult vapers looking for a less harmful alternative to cigarettes and will at the same time enrich the illegal trade," Eric Gagnon, vice-president of legal
and external affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada, said in a statement.
It calls on the government to ensure compliance with its new regulations by creating an ACCESS Vaping program. In recent years, the Government of Quebec has set up the ACCES Tabac and ACCES Cannabis programs, which are entirely dedicated to fines, investigations and seizures related to the illegal tobacco and cannabis trade.
"We hope that the Quebec government will look into the matter and take the necessary measures to enforce the new regulations and apply the necessary penalties to merchants who contravene the law," said Mr. Gagnon.