Calls for regulation in Manitoba, Canada picking up steam as Quebec's flavoured vape ban takes effect

Some lung experts in Manitoba say more needs to be done to regulate vaping in Manitoba and across Canada, as a Quebec ban on flavoured vaping products came into effect this week.

"We're hoping the new [provincial] government looks at this more carefully," Neil Johnston, president and CEO of the Manitoba Lung Association, said Tuesday.

"It is something that is very important for the health of our young people and the future health of the adult population."

A provincewide ban on the sale of vaping products with a flavour other than tobacco took effect in Quebec on Tuesday.

Quebec's health minister has said the ban is meant to lower vaping numbers among youth, who are often drawn to the flavours.

Johnston said he supports Quebec's ban and hopes Manitoba soon follows suit.

"It makes sense for our province," he said.

In 2022, 30 per cent of Canadians age 15 to 19 and nearly half of those age 20 to 24 said they'd tried vaping, a Statistics Canada survey found.

Manitoba's prevalence of shops that sell vapes, the number of flavours available and the limited resources the province has to combat vaping might explain why it's relatively popular here, Johnston said.

Selling vape products to anyone under 18 is illegal in Manitoba, and the province has a ban on using vapes in enclosed public spaces, a spokesperson said Tuesday. 

In a statement Tuesday, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the province is concerned about the negative health impacts of vaping, and Manitoba has worked to implement education programs, taxes and smoking bans to help combat the issue.

The Manitoba government "will take a close look at what other provinces are doing to determine what next steps should be taken to curb tobacco and vaping usage," Asagwara said.

'Good first step'

Quebec is not the first Canadian province or territory to put a flavoured vape ban in place. New Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have all prohibited the sale of flavoured vape products, the Health and Stroke Foundation of Canada says.

Health Canada proposed a ban on flavoured vaping products in 2021, but it hasn't been put into effect.

The federal government — which is responsible for vaping product regulations — has established a maximum nicotine concentration of 20 milligrams per millilitre for vaping products manufactured in or imported into Canada.

Chris Pascoe, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba's physiology and pathophysiology department who researches the impact of vaping on youth health, said Quebec's ban is a "good first step," but provinces need a more synchronized approach to vaping regulation.

"If it's not done in every province or across Canada in a more coordinated way, there's nothing really stopping people from hopping jurisdictions to get them," he told CBC on Wednesday.

"Just banning liquids and thinking that'll stop youth and young adults from finding these things and using them is maybe a bit short-sighted."

Pascoe said vaping can have devastating impacts on the development and well-being of young people.

Those include shortness of breath, difficulty exercising, changes in infection risk and lung damage, he said.

Many vaping products also contain nicotine, which brings its own set of health concerns, Pascoe added.

While he said different flavours do make vaping more appealing, Manitoba should consult with researchers and people who use vapes to see if a flavour ban would make a difference.

"Trying to prevent people from using these in the first place, especially young adults and youth, I think we need to look beyond just banning flavours," he said.

"Part of the problem with the e-cigarette space is it evolves so quickly and changes so fast."

The Lung Association's Johnston suggested creating more educational programming and increasing the purchase age for vaping products to 21 could help lower youth vaping numbers.

Taxing vape sellers and using that money to pay for educational programming, prevention and regulation would also help ensure sellers are "fixing the problems they're causing," he said.

But Johnston also said a broader perspective on tackling the issue is needed.

"There are a number of steps that can be done, but there needs to be a universal, global approach to this."

He said he plans to meet with the province's new ministers soon.