Getting the government to impose new regulations in the hope of solving the youth vaping problem in Quebec is not a 'tick the box and move on' exercise. The regulations have to actually work and then be fully enforced.

MONTREAL, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - Six months after Quebec banned flavoured vapour products the anti-tobacco lobby groups that called for the ban are now silent and refuse to acknowledge the resulting policy failure.

"You cannot claim Mission Accomplished by simply passing regulations. The regulations must work. And these ones don't," said Eric Gagnon, Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Imperial Tobacco Canada. "Flavoured vapour products are still being sold in Quebec. The problem is that they are now being sold illegally."

For years prior to the ban, anti-tobacco lobby groups in Quebec pressured the government to ban flavours under the guise that it would curb youth vaping. These same groups refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem with the regulations and will not call on the government to fully enforce the regulations.

"It's time that the Coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac and other so-called health groups acknowledge that there is a problem with the regulations and push to fix it," said Mr. Gagnon. "If the real objective of the regulations was to ban flavours, where are these health groups now that flavoured vapour products are being sold illegally."

The reason these groups are now invisible could be because some of them have close ties to and receive funding from the provincial government. A 2020 Journal de Montréal report¹ found that the Coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac communicates directly with government officials. Since it is a non-profit organization, it does not have to register as a lobbyist making it difficult to monitor links.

"It is time for the public to see the real intentions behind these anti-tobacco lobby groups," said Mr. Gagnon. "They hide behind the virtue of public health, but their recent silence demonstrates that their only real objective is going after tobacco companies, even if this means pushing consumers to illegal products."

Since flavoured vapour products became illegal in Quebec on October 31, not only are flavoured products still available in some retail outlets, but there is also an emergence of flavour enhancers designed to be added to unflavoured nicotine liquids as well as other ways to get around the regulations. This ultimately impedes the public health objectives that the regulations were intended to achieve. A recent article published in La Presse² highlighted that 25 percent of vape shops visited with a hidden camera sold flavoured nicotine-based vapour products to minors.

"It is astonishing to see that Quebec's anti tobacco lobbyists prefer turning a blind eye to illegal flavoured vaping products rather than recognizing that this is a failed policy and working with us to demand concrete enforcement measures to Minister Dubé," added Mr. Gagnon. "This says a lot about the real intention behind the individuals leading these organizations."

About Imperial Tobacco Canada
Imperial Tobacco Canada is Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine products company and is part of the world's most international tobacco group: BAT. BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business, operating in over 180 markets. At BAT, our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™ by Building a Smokeless World.

Our vision is for A Smokeless World built on smokeless products where, ultimately, cigarettes have become a thing of the past. A world where smokers have migrated from cigarettes to smokeless alternatives. A world where smokers make a Switch to Better. 

SOURCE Imperial Tobacco Canada