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
June 16, 2021 by vice.com
Canada’s Proposed Vaping Rules Could Turn Young People Into Smokers, Users Say
Canada’s plan to significantly decrease the amount of nicotine allowed in vapes and potentially restrict flavours to curb teen vaping has sparked anger among vapers and ex-smokers who say the new rules may turn them back to smokers.
The federal department of Health says the availability of high-nicotine vaping products in the market since 2018 is one of the factors that led to a swift rise in teen vaping. According to the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey, students in Grades 7-12 who vaped doubled from 2016-17 to 2018-19, rising from 10 to 20.2 percent. Nearly 30 percent of Grades 10-12 students were vaping in 2018-19.
June 14, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
News Alert | New Brunswick Bans Flavours
With astonishing speed, the province of New Brunswick tabled and passed new legislation guaranteed to destroy adult access and choice to the products many use as a safer alternative to smoking.
Join RegWatch’s same-day coverage with a response to the new flavour ban from Dr. John Oyston, Canadian anesthesiologist, and harm reduction advocate.
June 09, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
Fatal Flaw | How Science & Public Policy Fail Tobacco Harm Reduction
Guests: David Sweanor & Chris Lalonde
June 08, 2021 by calgaryherald.com
Opinion: Alberta's vaping legislation sits in limbo as COVID exacerbates e-cigarette dangers
A cascade of inaction characterizes Alberta’s approach to preventing young people from vaping and becoming smokers — just when Alberta should act.
Vapers are five times more likely to contract COVID than non-vapers. Dual users (those who vape and smoke), are seven times more likely to become sick with COVID. The higher COVID infection rate might be explained by how vaping makes lungs weaker, the increased hand-to-mouth action of vaping, vape sharing and the possibility of infected vapour clouds being inhaled by others.
June 02, 2021 by quebecnewstribune.com
Canadian e-cigarette users unite for World E-cigarette Day
Despite the continued threats of fragrance bans, nicotine restrictions, tax increases, and ongoing misinformation campaigns, Canadian e-cigarette users are not deterred to ensure that vapor products from coast to coast are still available and accessible And affordable.
“This is a fight for our lives,” said Maria Papaioannoy, a spokesperson for the organization. Rights4Vapers one Canadian The correct organization of vapers. “We are very happy that one day we can talk about our life experiences as e-cigarette users without the filters of cynical and skepticism that permeated the media’s coverage of e-cigarettes.”
May 24, 2021 by cbc.ca
Province proposes licences for vape shops to curb youth vaping
An industry group is pleased with proposed changes to New Brunswick's vaping regulations, but a health promotion group says they don't go far enough.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard introduced amendments to the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Sales Act last week that would require vape shops to be licensed starting next spring.
There are about 40 vape shops in the province, according to the provincial government, and licences would cost about $100.
May 21, 2021 by regulatorwatch.com
Iron Rule | Fight to Save Flavours in Canada
It’s even harder to believe this is not a reference to the ongoing challenges resulting from the 2020 pandemic. No. These are the words RegWatch first used in February of 2016 to describe the Quebec provincial government’s draconian measures in its maniacal war to eradicate vaping. Joining us on RegWatch to unpack the War on Vaping and the Fight to Save Flavours in Canada is John Xydous, owner of 4 vape shops in Quebec and regional director for the Canadian Vaping Association, and David Levesque founding partner at Digital Smoke Supplies instrumental vaping activist.
May 20, 2021 by vapingpost.com
Canada: A Quarter of PEI Youth Smokers Started with Vaping
The Lung Association on Prince Edward Island conducted a recent survey among youth who have used vaping products.
The results of the survey found that many of these youth vapers moved on to smoking cigarettes after using vapor products.
The was done with funding from the Lung Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
According to CBC and Radio Canada, the association reached out to 273 vapers on PEI between the ages of 16 to 24 years through an ad on Instagram. [...]
The respondents were not selected at random, with no margin of error can be calculated for the ending results.
May 16, 2021 by globalnews.ca
N.B. health minister says legislation pending, as opposition calls for clamp down on youth vaping
New Brunswick’s health minister says further legislation to combat youth vaping is on the way, as the opposition calls for more to be done.
Health Minster Dorothy Shephard tabled legislation this week that would create a registry of businesses selling vaping products, as part of the effort to crack down on the use of e-cigarettes by minors. Opposition parties have said the bill won’t actually address the problem of youth vaping, but Shephard says more is on the way.
“This is only the first bill that’s being brought forward and this is about regulation and licensing, so there is more to come,” Shephard said on Friday.
May 13, 2021 by youtube.com
A Deadly Moral Panic in Canada \\ SPOTLIGHT Series
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.