Age to purchase vapes goes up, but still no date set to limit flavours

The age to purchase tobacco and vaping products on P.E.I. increased to 21 on Sunday, and vaping products can now only be sold in specialty tobacco shops in the province.

But the P.E.I. government still has not told those retailers when it will proceed with a planned prohibition on some vaping flavours, or specified which flavours will be included in the ban.

"We don't really have much information until the public does, unfortunately," said Stephanie Dooley, manager of Wild Impulse, one of the shops in Charlottetown still able to sell vaping products.

Dooley said her store was only advised "a week or two" in advance of the date when the age to purchase tobacco and vaping products increased from 19 to 21.

She said the store will continue to stock flavoured vapes but is trying to clear out excess inventory. She said some suppliers will accept returns once the ban comes into effect, while others won't.

One supplier, Juul Labs Canada, has temporarily halted production of some flavours as provincial regulators and Health Canada consider ways to make electronic cigarettes less appealing to youth.

Ban for flavoured products

A private member's bill introduced by PC MLA Cory Deagle passed unanimously in the P.E.I. legislature in November 2019 and became law March 1.

That law includes a provision to ban flavoured vaping products, much as P.E.I. banned the sale of flavoured tobacco products.

But extending the ban to vape products will require cabinet make changes to provincial regulations, which hasn't happened yet.

We have flavoured alcohol. You can make the decision to drink a plain vodka or an apple-flavoured vodka. Not really much difference here.— Stephanie Dooley

According to a provincial toolkit of documents prepared for tobacco and vape retailers, the P.E.I. Department of Health and Wellness says it has "consulted with industry and advocacy groups and [is] now exploring options for flavour restrictions" on vaping products. The department says further information will be sent to retailers "later in 2020."

In January P.E.I.'s Health Minister James Aylward told CBC Radio he "won't be swayed" by lobby efforts to allow some vape flavours to continue to be sold, but would move to ban all flavours except tobacco.

Draft regulations which would achieve that were quietly posted on the province's website in February, but without any official announcement as to when or whether the province intends to implement the regulations.

CBC asked to interview Aylward Monday but was told he was not available.

'Flavour restriction is key'

"I would love to still see flavours," said Dooley. "We have flavoured alcohol. You can make the decision to drink a plain vodka or an apple-flavoured vodka. Not really much difference here. Adults should still be able to enjoy these things in life."

But "flavour restriction is key" in trying to reduce the popularity of vaping among youth says Julia Hartley, co-ordinator with the P.E.I. Lung Association. She referred to a survey that found almost half of Nova Scotia youth who vape would quit if flavours were not available.

Nova Scotia has announced a ban on all vape flavours to come into effect April 1, which would make it the first province to enact such restrictions.

"Our understanding from consultations with the [P.E.I.] minister's office is that they are moving towards this, and that they will be announcing their flavour restrictions very soon," Hartley said.

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