On May 23rd 2018, Bill S-5 reached royal assent and Health Canada made a public statement that Vapers, Shop Owners and Manufacturers had been waiting years to see. Health Canada announced that Canadians now have a legal and safer alternative to Tobacco Cigarettes.
The statement was made as the final step of regulations were put into place to keep consumers informed about the products they were purchasing by standardizing labels and regulating certain characteristics of how the bottles are portrayed to reduce the appeal to people of youth. Although there have been many mixed feelings in the industry about the changes made, True North Vapor staff agreed that our belief system that has existed for many years was inline with Health Canada’s intentions.
Our goals from day one has been to meet the following criteria (in no particular order):
- Provide a product that is professionally manufactured
- Avoid all harmful ingredients such as diacetyl and recently mentioned Vitamin E Acetate
- Be a leader in the industry for transparent labeling (warning symbols, ingredients, etc)
- Provide product only to existing vapers/smokers who are of appropriate age
Bill S-5 targeted labeling and reduced the chances of young people becomming interested in vaping products to minimize the risk of new habits being formed rather than transitioning from more harmful products to less harmful ones.
It has been almost a year and a half exactly since Bill S-5 reached royal assent and is officially being enforced across the country. Some retail shops have received visits to ensure compliancy is being adhered to. Products that have mascots on them or names that fit one of the five categories (Energy Drinks, Soft Drinks, Cannabis, Confectionary or Desserts) are being removed from the shelf or confiscated.
The biggest thing to remember is that Health Canada is doing this for the benefit of Canadians, particularly youths. There isn’t much concern in an adult smoker who wants to vape Strawberry Cheesecake instead of smoking tobacco. The concern is that same adult leaving an alluring bottle on the coffee table where a child can see an image of something they know to be tasty and drinking nicotine.
For those of you wondering why your “Caramel Tobacco” is now called “Amber Tobacco” or other name changes you’ve surely noticed, this is exactly the reason. The recipe did not change, merely the packaging and the name. I felt this would be especially relevant to write about now because Tobacco Enforcement is now actively exercising their right to enforce the law in this industry.
Cheers,
Tim Howey
General Manager
True North Vapor