Beamsville, ON, Dec. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With today’s release of the Canada Gazette, Part 1, the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) has learned of the federal government’s intention to restrict nicotine concentrations to 20mg/mL. The CVA believes that this decision is not without merit; however, restricting high nicotine content to age-restricted specialty vape shops would better balance youth protection with adult harm reduction.
As research has concluded that youth vape for nicotine, it is reasonable for the federal government to restrict it. Yet, the government can not allow adult smokers who require high nicotine concentrations to remain smoke-free to be left behind. The survey “Smokefree GB”, conducted by Action on Health and Smoking found that despite nicotine in Great Britain being limited to 20mg/mL, 2% of vapers reported using a strength greater than 21mg. While this may sound insignificant, there are 3 million vapers in Great Britain, resulting in 60,000 ex-smokers requiring a nicotine concentration greater than 20mg.
Given the Government of Canada’s announcement of an ambitious target of a 5% smoking rate by 2035, Canada cannot leave any number of smokers behind. The Canada Tobacco Strategy states, “[It] recognizes the potential of harm reduction – helping those who can’t or won’t quit using nicotine to identify less harmful options.” Moreover, by Health Canada’s own admission smokers who completely switch to vaping reduce their harm. Given these statements by Health Canada, the Government of Canada must ensure the available products meet the needs of all smokers to enable harm reduction.
“It is without question that Canada must act to restrict nicotine concentrations to protect youth, but it should not be an all or nothing approach. Ontario has restricted high nicotine products to age-restricted environments, effectively eliminating all retail access points for youth. This policy has proven effective in mitigating youth use while balancing the needs of adult smokers. The CVA encourages the Government of Canada to adopt this policy federally,” said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director of the CVA.