{"id":120696,"date":"2018-08-13T08:55:03","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T12:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/?p=120696"},"modified":"2018-08-14T07:14:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T11:14:16","slug":"quebecs-strict-vaping-regulation-does-nothing-to-promote-a-less-harmful-alternative-to-tobacco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/en\/quebecs-strict-vaping-regulation-does-nothing-to-promote-a-less-harmful-alternative-to-tobacco\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec’s Strict Vaping Regulation Does Nothing to Promote A Less Harmful Alternative To Tobacco"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you thought Ontario is a prude province compared to Quebec, think again.<\/p>\n

When it comes to vaping products, it’s the other way around.<\/p>\n

The openness we are witnessing in Ontario right now is quite daring, while the excess of prudence towards vaping products we see in Quebec has a strong scent of old-style catechism.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Ontario’s new strongman, Doug Ford, has just suspended the enforcement of the province’s recently adopted vaping regulation, which was to come into force no later than July 1st.<\/p>\n

Why? To take the necessary time to understand how vaping can contribute to health issues on a scientific and factual basis.<\/p>\n

A surprisingly wise decision that should inspire politicians here in Quebec as the next election campaign is about to begin.<\/p>\n

At full steam in Ontario<\/h5>\n

In the neighboring province, many voices \u2014 including several well-known physicians and scientists (see\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>) \u2014 denounced vaping’s ostracization and highlighted the opportunity it represents as a less harmful alternative to tobacco, being a proven tool to help quit smoking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>“In Ontario, the government is in the process of\u00a0enacting\u00a0hypocritical regulations<\/strong> that will make it harder for cigarette smokers to quit.” \u2014 Dr. Akbar Khan, Founder and medical Director of Medicor Cancer Centres, an integrated cancer treatment facility in Toronto, in an open letter<\/a>\u00a0published last May, one month before Doug Ford’s victory.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thus, while the neighboring province was about to imitate Quebec’s prudish approach of regulating vaping like tobacco \u2014 no in-store display, no promotion, restricted in public places and others \u2014 the new Ontario government believes that as far as vaping regulation, they went too far, too fast and just put an end to this madness.<\/p>\n

In a recent visit to Doug Ford’s province, DepQuebec<\/strong> has been able to appreciate the striking contrast that now distinguishes Ontario and Quebec retail practices when it comes to vaping products.<\/p>\n

Free to offer an alternative<\/h5>\n

Contrary to Quebec where such practice would rapidly degenerated into a $4,000 fine, a convenience store in Ontario can currently display vaping products openly. These can be showcased through colorful displays, promoted through indoor and outdoor signage and even through promotional handouts without any problem.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
In Ontario convenience stores, and despite the revised Smoke-Free Act adopted under the previous government, it is currently tolerated by the authorities to showcase the vaping items in-store, to customers’ view, as seen in the photos above, taken in various Ontario depanneurs. The Ford government has openly said it won’t enforce the provisions of the revised Smoke-Free Act regarding vaping products. This Act, emulating Quebec policies, regulates vaping exactly as if it were a tobacco product (while this is clearly not the case).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
In Ontario, it is currently tolerated to use in-store displays and to distribute product documentation aimed at consumers and focused on product benefits as well as how to use them.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/blockquote>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A convenience store in Ontario can also use outdoor signage to promote vaping products as well as publicize their prices and current promotions. In Quebec, all of this is strictly forbidden, heavily controlled and at the slightest offense, you’ll get a hefty fine guaranteed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Vape Shops are benefiting too<\/h5>\n

In addition, Ontario’s business environment is currently more amicable for specialized boutiques called “vape shops”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The whole notion of having to hide vaping products from minors is not enforced, so that Ontario vape shops can showcase them (left) without having to put a veil on their main store window like in Quebec (right).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
In Ontario, you can do in-store product tastings, like here in Cornwall, where we were able to test a dozen different vaping flavors. In Quebec, such samples are prohibited, even in vape shops. And although he is not legally required to do so, the vape shop owner we met said that he would not let minors come into the store unless accompanied by an adult.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Quebec: a province afraid of its own shadow<\/h5>\n

Now that both levels of government have adopted (quite belatedly) a regulatory framework for vaping (Quebec in 2015, Ottawa in 2018), we can now truly appreciate their policies’ pathetic results.<\/p>\n

The situation currently prevailing in Quebec is frankly distressing because having been ostracized as such, vaping is hardly visible at all, nor promoted as a less harmful alternative to tobacco.<\/p>\n

In addition, the display ban for vaping products is worse than tobacco since, at least, everyone knows that a convenience store sells tobacco.<\/p>\n

The same can not be said for vaping. The situation is indeed very confusing.<\/p>\n

Before Quebec revised its tobacco legislation in 2015, convenience stores could showcase vaping products in-store but did not have the right to sell liquids with nicotine, which are the most requested and also, the most interesting for a tobacco smoker.<\/p>\n

Those that held such nicotine-free products were generally disappointed with the low volume of sales, since without nicotine, there is barely a market.<\/p>\n

Then, now that they can sell liquids with nicotine, they no longer have the right to showcase them!<\/p>\n

So there is absolutely nothing that can help retailers to further develop this market without any possibility of promotion or visibility of the product and without any sales history.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This anonymous metal can, which looks like a small fridge, goes completely unnoticed in the cluttered environment of a convenience store’s check-out area. However, it is in this container, lost in the middle of nowhere, that vaping products are showcased \u2014 sort of \u2014 in Quebec’s depanneurs. Unless someone uses telepathy, there is just no way to promote these products under such conditions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Then, what to do with our million smokers?<\/h5>\n

In the latest available survey, Quebec had about 1.2 million tobacco smokers. That’s a lot of people.<\/p>\n

The Quebec government want to reduce this group by half by 2025… very well. So how should they quit these poor lads?<\/p>\n

Is not vaping a quite interesting option to gradually decrease their tobacco intake?<\/p>\n

Could retailers and the vaping industry not play a constructive role by promoting this alternative while making some revenues that would offset the decline of the tobacco market?<\/p>\n

And how about following countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic and others (see here<\/a>) that are banking on vaping benefits to reduce tobacco use?<\/p>\n

But here, in Quebec?<\/p>\n

Come on, we are way too stuck up over here.<\/p>\n

A lot more than Ontario, that’s for sure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you thought Ontario is a prude province compared to Quebec, think again. When it comes to vaping products, it’s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":120706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1873,223,1878,1737,234],"tags":[1257,300,912,1063,1064],"class_list":["post-120696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-due-diligence","category-newsdep","category-prodep-zone","category-tobacco-ecig","category-zoom-dep","tag-ontario-en","tag-regulation","tag-regulation-en","tag-vaping-en","tag-vaping"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t