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
September 15, 2021 by youtube.com
A Spectacular Failure \\ SPOTLIGHT Series
In this SPOTLIGHT series, Aaron Biebert (Director - A Billion Lives, You Don’t Know Nicotine) has detailed the potential consequences, both intended and not, of the restrictive, prohibition-like regulations proposed by Health Canada regarding alternative nicotine products. While all of the consequences described present varying levels of inherent harm, none may be more deadly than an unregulated black market.
September 02, 2021 by clivebates.com
Health Canada consults on the really dumb idea of making vaping a less appealing alternatives to smoking
Health Canada is trying to ban almost all vaping liquid flavours. This is on top of measures to limit nicotine strengths and marketing. It is the nearest they can get to a prohibition without actually having to prohibit the most promising low-risk rival to cigarettes. The likely effects are obvious: more smoking. But in a bizarre twisting of reality and evidence, Health Canada finds that making vaping less attractive relative to smoking will… um … reduce smoking. And that’s how it justifies the measure. We respond with a counter-analysis.
August 25, 2021 by leaderpost.com
Canadian Vaping Association: Proposed flavour ban ignores the underlying neglected state of mental health in youth
Youth wellbeing in Canada has seen a decline in recent years. The staggering numbers demonstrate that the perceived mental health with a mention of poor/fair more than doubled in 2018 for youth. While proponents of flavour restrictions often cite surveys finding that some youth indicate flavours are a reason for use, they ignore the same survey data which indicates mental health is a driving force. Canadian youth have been vocal regarding their mental health and the need for counseling, and through forward-thinking studies, it’s becoming apparent that their requests are valid and pressing.
July 30, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
‘Last Stand’ Special | Challenging Health Canada’s War on Vaping
It’s not an exaggeration to say Health Canada‘s proposed ban on flavours in nicotine vaping products will push hundreds of thousands of Canadians back to smoking because Health Canada freely admits this fact in the Regulatory Analysis Impact Statement for the proposed new regulations. [...] Joining us as co-host is national vaping activist Maria Papaioannoy-Duic from Rights4Vapers and guests include Shai Bekman, president of DashVapes Inc.; Luke Marshall, owner of County Vape; and David Levesque, founding partner of Digital Smoke supplies.
July 29, 2021 by youtube.com
A Deadly Moral Panic in Canada
In this SPOTLIGHT, Aaron Biebert circles back to hear from Canadians who were affected by the deadly moral panic in Canada that sparked his latest film project. Because of the resulting irrational fear & political pressure that followed, thousands of Canadians are now at risk of losing their health or the information that can improve their lives.
July 14, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
Fully Aware | Health Canada Pushes People Back to Smoking
It’s inexplicable. The Canadian government appears hellbent on destroying the health and wellbeing of over one million citizens in a misguided, ill-conceived effort to eradicate nicotine use in the country. Joining us today on RegWatch is Janine Timmons, a concerned Canadian user of nicotine vaping products and long-time supporter of the federal Liberals. Timmons is shaken by Health Canada’s “absolutely reckless” move to ban flavors, which the regulator acknowledges will push some people back to smoking.
July 08, 2021 by cbc.ca
Health officials crack down on high potency nicotine vapes
Health officials are cracking down on the sale of high potency nicotine vapes. New federal regulations come into effect July 23 that will ban retailers from selling them.
The ban affects vaping products with a nicotine concentration higher than 20 mg/ml. Currently, the products come in stronger versions of 35 milligrams and 50 milligrams and higher.
"This has huge significance.… I think that people won't get as addicted to these products when they're using them and current users of vapes will find it easier when they quit," said Julia Hartley, co-ordinator with the P.E.I. Lung Association.
July 06, 2021 by newswire.ca
Proposed ban on vaping flavours will push Canadians back to smoking traditional cigarettes, admits Health Canada's own report
In an unprecedented move, Health Canada is proposing a full federal ban on vaping flavours. The ban would take effect in about 180 days, so likely January 1, 2022.
"Health Canada is pushing smokers back to smoking cigarettes and into the arms of 'Big Tobacco'," says Shai Bekman, president of DashVapes Inc., Canada's largest independently owned e-cigarette company that produces e-cigarettes, an alternative to smoking.
June 30, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
Balance Concern | ‘Don’t Obsess Over Teen Vaping’ Says Ian Irvine
Any day now, Canadian vapers expect Health Canada to announce a nationwide restriction for nicotine levels in vaping products that promise to cut by over half the amount of nicotine available in current devices and e-liquids. In this episode of RegWatch, we are joined by Ian Irvine, Professor of Economics at Concordia University and Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute. Hear his warning to Health Canada that these efforts, ostensibly to combat teen vaping, would lead to an increase in smoking-related disease and death.
June 17, 2021 by ipolitics.ca
Will Health Canada allow menthol in vaping products, too?
In 2009, the federal government passed the aptly titled Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act. Its primary objective was to curb a major spike in consumption by young people of flavoured tobacco products, which was fuelled by the tobacco industry’s predatory marketing. The accompanying federal regulations were approved in 2010, but contained a disturbing exemption for menthol products because of the mistaken belief that youth didn’t like them.