Consumers call on Smith to reject Private Member’s Bill banning flavoured vapes
Toronto, ON: The Consumer Choice Center is calling on Premier Danielle Smith to reject Bill 208, tabled by Livingston-Macleod MLA Chelsae Petrovic, which would ban the sale of flavoured vapes in the province of Alberta.
Vapes have been proven to be 95 per cent less harmful than smoking cigarettes and are an important tool in helping smokers quit. But Petrovic’s Private Member’s Bill would ban single use vapes with flavours other than nicotine and tobacco. Even mint and menthol would be banned under the proposed legislation.
Approximately 1.5 million Canadians use vaping products and most of them are smokers trying to quit. Most of those users rely on flavours that would be prohibited if this legislation were to be enacted. Without access to flavours, many vape users could turn back to cigarettes and undo important public health progress Canada has made in recent years.
Jay Goldberg, the CCC’s Canadian Affairs Manager, commented on the proposed legislation.
“Well over a million Canadians rely on vaping products as a means of quitting smoking. MLA Petrovic’s bill would be a huge step backwards for Albertans looking to quit smoking and would make it less likely that those hoping to quit smoking by turning to vapes are able to do so. Policymakers should be looking to promote policies that encourage the transition from smoking to vaping, something shown to be 95 per cent less harmful to one’s health, but this legislation would do just the opposite,” said Goldberg.
In recent months, Smith has been leading the charge to get the federal government to put nicotine pouches back in convenience stores, a common-sense measure that would improve access to an important smoking cessation tool. Petrovic’s proposed legislation flies in the face of Smith’s pragmatic approach when it comes to helping smokers quit via smoking cessation tools.
“Smith must shut the door on this wrong-headed legislation right away. The Alberta government has been a leading advocate of common-sense smoking cessation policies, but Petrovic’s proposed bill would take the province in the exact opposite direction. Smith should come out publicly and be crystal clear that the UCP government will not back Petrovic’s bill,” Goldberg added.