Flavour ban will have ‘little impact on youth uptake’ according to Canadian Vaping Association
Posted Dec 9, 2019 10:59:46 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian Vaping Association is not on board with the provincial decision to ban flavoured vaping products.
Executive Director Darryl Temptest believes this will have little impact on youth uptake.
Last week, Nova Scotia became the first province in Canada to ban flavoured vaping products, with those restrictions set to take effect April 1st.
Temptest telling NEWS 95.7 this is deeply concerning on two levels.
“The first aspect for us, is that a full flavour ban will have very little impact on youth uptake, and the second is the impact it's going to have on tens of thousands of Nova Scotians who have chosen vaping as a far less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco,” explains Temptest.
He continues, saying this will negatively impact both youth, and those attempting to quit smoking.
“It doesn't stop anyone from going up to New Brunswick, and getting it and bringing it back and selling it to youth at a tidy little profit,” says Temptest. “It doesn't stop online sales, one of the biggest problems where youth get this product is something through the Social Sale when they get it from friends, or from those who wish to sell it.”
He says if you look at taking away flavours, “if there's youth experimentation, now they're just experimenting with the tobacco flavour, period.”
“But if you look at those trying to get off tobacco products, so they're trying to get off tobacco by only smoking a tobacco flavour,” says Temptest.
Meantime, Premier Stephen McNeil is standing by his government's decision to ban flavoured vaping products. He tells NEWS 95.7, the move is about the health of Nova Scotians, and young people in particular.
“All of the stats that we have seen, it's been really leading to increased use from vaping, and then which in turn goes into youth smoking,” explains McNeil. “Our smoking rates have gone up, this is a health issue for us, we will be banning all flavoured products as of April 1st.”
He says there is no question that they've seen an increase in youth smoking, much of it attributable to vaping, adding “we as a government banned flavoured tobacco in 2015” and this is a follow up move to that step to help reduce smoking rates in Nova Scotia. On friday, the province announced its ban will also apply to flavoured cannabis vaping products.
