Smoking in Canada
In Canada, smoking is allowed and tobacco products are regulated. Under these regulations, cigarettes can be sold, purchased online, used, and bought from vending machines. The importation of cigarettes for trade is permitted with a trade license. Health warnings are required on cigarette packaging, the minimum legal age for sales is 18 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places. Cigarettes are subject to an excise tax value of 54.47% and a total taxation rate of 63.34%. Available data show that smoking remains a significant public health issue in Canada. In 2024, there were approximately 3.5 million current smokers aged 15 years and older. This shows that the adult current smoking prevalence was 10.6% in 2024, with 13.1% among males and 8.1% among females. In comparison, this prevalence was 11.4% in 2022. For reference, the number of daily smokers was approximately 3.5 million in 2017 which shows that the adult daily tobacco smoking prevalence was 11.6%, with 19.1% among males and 13.4% among females. In 2021, smoking led to 34,171 deaths in Canada, including 20,700 deaths among males and 13,471 among females. This indicates that smoking accounted for 11% of all deaths in 2021 in the country, including 12.8% of male deaths and 9.04% of female deaths.
Read articles from Canada
April 20, 2023 by thestar.com
Quebec government moves to ban flavoured vape products, limit nicotine content
The Quebec government is modifying the province’s anti-tobacco law to crack down on vaping, including by banning the sale of flavoured products.
The new regulations tabled Wednesday would prevent the sale of vape products in flavours other than tobacco, cap the nicotine content to 20 milligrams per millilitre, and limit the size of capsules and refill containers.
The new rules would also restrict the sale of vaping products in “the form of a toy, a jewel, a food, an animal or a real or fictional character or any other form, appearance or function which may be attractive to minors,” according to a draft in the official government journal, Gazette officielle du Québec.
April 11, 2023 by filtermag.org
Is Canada Turning the Corner on Tobacco Harm Reduction?
Whisper it quietly, but there are subtle signs that Canada may be moving away from opposition to tobacco harm reduction that has stood in stark contrast to many of its other drug policies. In applying harm reduction to tobacco, it would join a small coalition of countries with a similarly enlightened approach. This would be great news for Canadians who smoke, and for the country’s strained health care system.
Canada has shown leadership in areas of harm reduction for other drugs. It opened North America’s first sanctioned safe consumption sites. It operates limited safe supply programs for people who use opioids. [...]
April 06, 2023 by globalnews.ca
Western study examines high vaping rates among Canadian high school students
A recent study from researchers at London’s Western University is shedding more light on youth vaping rates among Canadian teenagers.
The study, published in the journal Children in February, found that roughly one-quarter of high school students in Canada reported having vaped in the previous month, with 12 per cent using exclusively nicotine vapes, and 11.3 per cent using nicotine and non-nicotine vapes, or dual-use vaping.
Jamie Seabrook of Brescia University College and Evan Wiley of Western University authored the study, which references data from the 2019 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, [...]
March 29, 2023 by regulatorwatch.com
Banned | Canadian Vape Advocates Denied Entry to Conferences | RegWatch
Last month tobacco control activists and public health professionals from across the country met for the National Conference on Tobacco and Vaping.
The conference is the premiere event for tobacco control in Canada. But all are not welcome at this event.
According to an Ontario Public Health Association rep, “the conference does not allow those with ties to tobacco or vaping industries to attend.”
One vaping advocate barred from the event is joining us today, Dr. John Oyston, a retired anesthesiologist and former associate professor at the University of Toronto.
March 03, 2023 by globalnews.ca
Should Quebec ban flavoured vapes?
In downtown Montreal you can’t walk around for long without seeing someone vaping, and it feels like you can barely throw a stone without hitting a vape shop.
“I would say a lot more people do it than parents think,” said Dawson College student David Bensemana.
A big portion of Quebec’s vape businesses may soon go up in smoke. The Health Ministry told Global News the effects of vaping especially on young people are of great concern.
“We already announced we will put a new tax in place on vaping products, and we want to go further with other recommendations,” said Antoine de la Durantaye, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christian Dubé.
November 24, 2022 by canberraweekly.com.au
Stronger laws against e-cigarettes in ACT
The ACT Government is cracking down on e-cigarettes in the community with legislative changes to reduce availability and increase enforcement, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said. The Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, passed today by the ACT Legislative Assembly, stops the sale of e-cigarettes from vending machines; enables stronger compliance testing to enforce the prohibition on sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18; and extends therapeutic goods laws to enable action to be taken against sole traders. Ms Stephen-Smith said the ACT Government has a strong commitment to treating alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use as a health issue.
November 13, 2022 by regulatorwatch.com
No Mystery | Canada’s Excise Tax on Vaping Means More Smoking | RegWatch
According to tobacco control policy expert Clive Bates, Canada’s new excise tax on nicotine vaping products will lead to more smoking, illness, and death.
October 26, 2022 by globalnews.ca
Study to explore potential long-term health effects of vaping in young people
A new study at Dalhousie University is looking into whether vaping can cause permanent lung damage in young adults. According to the researchers, nearly 15 per cent of youth in Canada use vapes regularly. Vaping requires users to inhale an aerosol mist created by an electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette. The e-juice in the cartridges typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, chemicals and flavourings. Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, an assistant professor at the university’s Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, was prompted to research the topic while working with a colleague who was visiting high schools to discuss the harmful effects of vaping.
October 14, 2022 by regulatorwatch.com
Tax Fears | Vape Product Tax Hits 50% Over Retail, Could Get Worse | RegWatch
It’s hard to imagine how Canada’s new excise tax on nicotine vaping products won’t drive scores of people back to smoking. [...] Ian Irvine, Professor of Economics at Concordia University and Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, is joining us today to discuss the economic and social consequences of the new excise tax. Hear about the hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue Canadian vapers are sending to Ottawa and the colossal damage facing the Canadian vaping industry after a half-billion-dollar revenue loss.
October 06, 2022 by regulatorwatch.com
Heavy Decisions | New Excise Tax Rocks Canadian Vape Industry | RegWatch
Consumers of nicotine vaping products in Canada are grappling with another rise in the cost of living, and this time, increasing costs are not a result of inflation but a new federal excise tax that went into effect on Oct. 1st. In this episode of RegWatch, the Canadian Vaping Association’s executive director and lead advocate Darryl Tempest provides a complete update on the implementation of the new excise tax. We discuss specific challenges facing Canadian manufacturers, distributors, and retail shop owners as they struggle to keep their businesses open, and nicotine vapes in the hands of adult consumers.