Today, Health Minister Paul Merriman introduced The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Amendment Regulations, 2021 necessary to restrict the sale of flavoured vapour products to adult-only vape shops, and limiting marketing and availability to youth. The amendments will come into force September 1, 2021.
"Vapour flavoured products like strawberry and ice cream give young people the false impression that vaping is harmless when it is every bit as habit-forming as smoking," Merriman said. "Building upon the legislation this government introduced to regulate vape products as we do tobacco, we want to provide our youth with every opportunity to choose to be tobacco and vape-free."
This restriction will not apply to tobacco and mint/menthol flavours.
The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act (formerly The Tobacco Control Amendment Act, 2019) received royal assent in December 2019 and came into force in February 2020. That aligned regulation of vape and tobacco products:
- restricting the sale of vapour/e-cigarette devices and products to individuals 18 years of age and older;
- prohibiting the display of vapour/e-cigarette products in a retail business where young persons have access;
- restricting the use of vapour/e-cigarette products in and around public buildings, including schools and school grounds, in the same manner as our provincial tobacco legislation;
- prohibiting the sale of vapour/e-cigarette products from specified facilities such as amusement parks, arcades, and theatres where youth frequent;
- restricting advertising of vapour/e-cigarette products in the same manner as tobacco products by prohibiting advertising signs and promotional signs in areas where young persons can enter;
- providing the ability to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco and vapour products by regulation; and
- expanding the authority of tobacco enforcement officers to include enforcement of vapour/e-cigarette product restrictions.
For more information on the Government of Saskatchewan's programs that support tobacco prevention, cessation and enforcement, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/wellness-and-prevention/tobacco.
