Another international tobacco company, JTI, flogs nicotine vapes to Canadians

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/jti-shakes-up-canada-s-vape-market-862015235.html

It seems that Health Canada has opened the door to yet another tobacco conglomerate. Their press release makes no attempt to address the issues raised this week about marketing to teens!

When will Health Canada stop companies like this?

I am not holding my breath!

Send complaint to 

presscanada@jti.com, T: 905-804-7469

Thanks,

Terry Polevoy, MD

Waterloo

E-cigarette advertising may face heavy new restrictions

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/e-cigarette-advertising-may-face-heavy-new-restrictions-1.4285049

The federal government is looking at placing significant restrictions on e-cigarette advertising in an attempt to steer Canadian youth away from vaping.

Health Canada announced the proposed new rules Tuesday. They include a ban on e-cigarette advertisements at any stores where children are allowed inside, on billboards and other outdoor advertising spaces, and in transit vehicles and other public locations where children may be.

“We want to make sure that children are not going to be able to see this type of advertising,” Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor told reporters on Parliament Hill.

Current restrictions forbid e-cigarettes and related items from being advertised in ways that specifically target children. E-cigarette manufacturers are also not allowed to promote their products with sponsorships and testimonials, or to describe their flavours with terms that would appeal to children.

Also being considered is adding a required health warning to all e-cigarette advertisements, alerting potential purchasers to the potential harm of nicotine in products that contain nicotine and other chemicals in other vaping products.

The Canadian Cancer Society has said it strongly supports the proposals, although it would like to see the government take things further by banning all e-cigarette advertisements on TV and radio, as is done with tobacco cigarettes, instead of only within 30 minutes of programs targeted at children.

“It absolutely will make a difference,” Rob Cunningham, the organization’s senior policy analyst, told CTV News Channel, noting that cigarette-smoking rates started to decline in Canada after a blanket ban on TV and radio advertising was enacted.

Health Canada’s proposed new regulations also cover the online world, with the agency looking at banning advertising of vaping products on any websites or social media feeds children are able to access. Cunningham said this would stop the trend of manufacturers paying social media influencers to show themselves vaping.

“Social media marketing has been a big factor why certain of these products have taken off, including some products with especially high nicotine content,” he said.

A survey conducted during 2016 and 2017 found that 15 per cent of students between Grade 10 and Grade 12 reported using a vaping product within the past 30 days, up from nine per cent two years earlier.

Other surveys in Canada and the U.S. have found similar evidence that e-cigarette use is surging among high school students. Some Canadian high school principals have ordered that washroom doors be locked or removed altogether in order to make it more difficult for students to vape inside the washrooms undetected.

Health authorities consider vaping products to be a gateway to traditional tobacco cigarettes, particularly for children.

The Health Canada proposals are subject to public feedback and consultation until March 22. Petitpas Taylor said she hopes to see changes to the regulations finalized within months.

Consultation - Potential measures to reduce the impact of vaping products advertising on youth and non-users of tobacco products - Canada.ca

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-measures-reduce-impact-vaping-products-advertising-youth-non-users-tobacco-products.html

This consultation will open for comment on February 5, 2019 Eastern Standard Time (EST) and will close to new input on March 22, 2019.

This consultation is seeking comments on proposed measures to limit the advertising of vaping products.

Why

Health Canada is very concerned that youth are experimenting with and using vaping products in bigger numbers. We are proposing new measures by which advertising of vaping products can be limited to protect youth and non-users from the inducements to use vaping products.

Who

We are seeking comments from:

• health partners
• the general public
• interested members of the industry

What

The purpose of this consultation is to get comments on the following proposals by which advertising of vaping products can be limited to protect youth and non-users from the effect of promotion:

• limit the places where advertisements can placed;
• limit the content in advertisements;
• inform the public through a warning on advertisements;
• limit the display of vaping products in certain retail locations.

When and where

You have 45 days to send us your comments. The consultation period closes March 22, 2019.

You can find the consultation document online.

How to participate

You may submit your comments by:

• mail
• email
  • Microsoft Word
  • Adobe Acrobat

Contact us

Manager, Regulations Division
Tobacco Products Regulatory Office
Tobacco Control Directorate
CSCB, Health Canada
0301A-150 Tunney's Pasture Drwy
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Email: hc.pregs.sc@canada.ca

Health Canada plans new measures to curb vaping by young people

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/vaping-health-canada-1.5006313

New rules would require health warning messages on advertisementsHealth Canada says it intends to introduce new measures to curb the rising amount of vaping by young people. 

The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act already prohibits sales of vaping products to those under 18, but Health Canada said it aims to strengthen the rules, such as limiting the visibility of ads to young people. 

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced new measures on Tuesday including:

• A proposal for more advertising restrictions on vaping.
• A new public education campaign targeted at young people.
• Limits on places where advertisements can placed.
• Limits to the content of advertisements.
• Limits on the display of vaping products in certain retail locations.
  The proposed rules would also require health warning messages on permitted advertisements

 

 

 

Canada's Minister of Health announces New vaping rules welcome, but they’re needed now to protect youth: advocates

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9162012-new-vaping-rules-welcome-but-they-re-needed-now-to-protect-youth-advocates/

Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced Tuesday proposed regulations that would put additional advertising rules on vaping, including requiring health warning messages on ads and restricting the display of vaping products in stores.

 by Johanna Weidner

Waterloo — Health Canada is looking at new measures to tackle the "alarming" rise in vaping among youth, but tobacco control advocates say the plan is late to the table and will take too long to enact.

Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced Tuesday proposed regulations that would put additional advertising rules on vaping, including requiring health warning messages on ads and restricting the display of vaping products in stores.

"I am deeply concerned about recent reports that youth vaping is on the rise. This includes stories coming out of schools across Canada, and emerging data suggesting that young Canadians are taking up vaping at an alarming rate," Petitpas Taylor said in a release.

"We cannot allow these products to threaten the hard-earned gains we've made in tobacco control."

University of Waterloo Prof. David Hammond said Health Canada is trying to be responsive to the quick increase in vaping among youth with unrestricted advertising.

His latest research shows vaping has almost doubled in the past year among youth age 16 to 19 in Canada.

"It's an acknowledgement that things have gone off the rails a bit," Hammond said.

"The right time to do this was in May 2018."

That's when an updated version of the Tobacco Act was passed to regulate vaping products in Canada. Hammond suspects government officials were surprised by the scope of vaping ads, which commonly includes large posters and videos in convenience stores.

"It's perfectly reasonable what they're proposing to do," Hammond said. "It may be some time before we see the changes."

He said the government needs to find the right balance between promoting vaping to adult smokers as an aid to quitting while not appealing to kids, who can then get hooked on nicotine.

"That doesn't mean putting up posters next to the Slurpee machine," Hammond said.

He expects the government will look next at vaping flavours, which he said are more likely to be used by youth.

Health Canada said in Tuesday's announcement that after a 45-day public consultation for the regulations now on the table, another will be launched in March focusing on additional control measures, such as the role of flavours, nicotine concentration and product design that makes it more appealing to youth and non-smokers.

Tobacco control organizations welcome the recognition of the public health threat from the rapid rise in youth use of nicotine vaping products, but say a more urgent remedy is needed. They're calling for a bill that can be passed in relatively short order, rather than new regulations that can take two years or more to implement.

"By being too late, it will be too little," Neil Collishaw, research director for Physicians for a Smoke-free Canada, said in a release. "Tens of thousands of more kids will become addicted to nicotine by the time new regulations will come into effect."

Michael Perley, executive director of the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, said the youth vaping problem was predictable and legislators were warned about the risks of widespread marketing to non-smokers and youth.

"Tobacco control groups insisted from the get-go that promotion should be limited to those who could benefit from nicotine vaping products: smokers," Perley said.

"They have been warning legislators of the risks of widespread marketing visible to non-smokers and youth ever since the law was introduced in early 2017."

Both the federal government's proposed regulations and a public awareness campaign about the harms of vaping, which kicks off this week, have the same message: "If you don't smoke, don't vape."

Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction and increase exposure to harmful chemicals and metals, which can affect teen brain development. Researchers are still learning about how vaping affects health, and long-term consequences are unknown.

jweidner@therecord.com

Twitter: @WeidnerRecord

jweidner@therecord.com

 

Health Canada proposes stricter advertising rules to tackle youth vaping

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/health-canada-proposes-stricter-advertising-rules-to-tackle-youth-vaping-897854295.html

The Department also launches a public education campaign to encourage teens to consider the consequences of vaping. 

OTTAWA, Feb. 5, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian market for vaping is evolving rapidly, and emerging evidence suggests that youth uptake of vaping products is on the rise. Health Canada is taking action to address this troublesome trend.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, announced new measures to address vaping by young people. These measures include a proposal for additional advertising restrictions on vaping and a new public education campaign targeted at young people. 

Canada already has a strong regulatory framework for vaping products in place through the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, which prohibits advertising that appeals to youth. To further strengthen this framework, Health Canada has published a Notice of Intent outlining the Department's plans for new advertising rules. The proposed rules would restrict where advertisements could be displayed to limit their visibility to young people. They would also require health warning messages on permitted advertisements, and would restrict the display of vaping products at points of sale. 

The Notice of Intent initiates a 45-day consultation period. Health Canada will consider the comments received through this consultation in the drafting of new proposed regulations. All Canadians are encouraged to provide their feedback on proposals to protect youth and non-smokers from the harms and risks associated with vaping products.

In addition to the Notice of Intent posted today, Health Canada will post in March 2019 another consultation document seeking comments on further measures being considered to address and reverse the recent trends of youth vaping. Some of these additional measures could include examining the role of flavours, nicotine concentration and product design in making vaping products appealing to youth and non-smokers.

Minister Petitpas Taylor has also engaged her provincial and territorial colleagues to further support federal efforts to address youth vaping. Health Canada continues to support the need to discourage youth and non-smokers from vaping, while urging smokers to quit.

This week also marks the official launch of the Government of Canada's new public education campaign to raise awareness, particularly among youth, of the harms and risks of vaping. The campaign invites youth to consider the consequences of vaping, and equips parents and other trusted adults with tools and resources to support conversations with teenagers about the health risks of vaping. The campaign will continue through 2019.

Quotes

"I am deeply concerned about recent reports that youth vaping is on the rise. This includes stories coming out of schools across Canada, and emerging data suggesting that young Canadians are taking up vaping at an alarming rate. I am hearing from parents, educators and the health care community that they share my concerns about youth vaping. We cannot allow these products to threaten the hard-earned gains we've made in tobacco control. The proposed regulatory measures and our public awareness campaign will drive home the message: if you don't smoke, don't vape." 
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor  Minister of Health 

Quick Facts

• Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction by delivering nicotine to users' brains, making them crave it more and more. It can also increase exposure to harmful chemicals and metals, and can affect teen brain development.
• There are health risks linked to other components in vaping products, including harmful metals and contaminants, such as nickel, tin and aluminum, and harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde and acrolein.
• We are still learning about how vaping affects health. The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown.
• According to the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, in 2016-17, 10% of students in grades 7 to 12 (secondary I to V in Quebec) reported having used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days, an increase from 6% in 2014-15.

Associated LinksLink to Notice of Intent 
Canada.ca/Vaping-info   
Link to campaign video 
Share how tobacco products have affected your health

SOURCE Health Canada

Canada’s “wicked” debate over vaping

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/vaping-juul-vype-health-canada-cigarette-smoking-nicotine-addiction-1.5003164

This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of eclectic and under-the-radar health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. 

The bathroom doors are coming off, students are being hauled into the principal's office and teachers are seizing charging devices in class as the vaping craze sweeps through Canadian schools.

"I would say it is out of control," said George Kourtis, program co-ordinator for health and physical education at the Toronto District School Board.

He recalled the story of one student sent to the principal's office for the third time for vaping. The principal was called away for a moment, leaving the confiscated vape device on the desk.

"He was out of there for 10 seconds and the child picked it up and vaped," said Kourtis. "He asked the child, and he said, 'Sir, it was standing right there, I had to.'"

Stories like that heighten concerns that vaping is creating a new generation of nicotine addiction, even as many hold out hope it will replace cigarettes and stop the ravages of tobacco-related death and disease. 

Is it enough to be worried about? You're damned right.- David Hammond, public health professor, University of Waterloo

"It is why it's such a wicked debate that we're having," said David Hammond, a researcher at University of Waterloo, Ontario, who has found evidence that youth vaping in Canada has increased dramatically.

Hammond has discovered another disturbing trend in his data: that cigarette smoking rates among youth are increasing for the first time in decades.

He has shown the research to Health Canada, but it has not yet been published. He is cautious about the finding and is waiting to see if the same result is found in other studies.  

Professor David Hammond researches youth tobacco trends. He has shown Health Canada his most recent unpublished data showing increases in youth vaping and cigarette smoking. (Craig Chivers/CBC)

"Is it enough to be worried about? You're damned right," he said.

This week, a study in JAMA Network Open found evidence that vaping increases the chances that even low-risk youth will try cigarettes, "raising concerns that e-cigarettes may renormalize smoking behaviours and erode decades of progress in reducing smoking among youths," the study's authors concluded.

• SECOND OPINION | Teen vaping in Canada has taken a 'worrisome' turn

Most of that data was collected before the sleek and powerful nicotine vaping devices Juul and Vype swept the market. Both products are backed by tobacco companies, and both are so effective at mimicking the buzz of cigarette smoking that Hammond believes they might have heightened the risk to youth. 

"I think what it has done is bring kids into the market and have them start using these products in a way that starts to look not like experimentation but regular use and potentially signs of dependence and addiction."

Nicotine-addicted teen might try a cigarette

The fear is that a nicotine-addicted teenager who can't access a vape when the cravings start might be easily tempted by a handy cigarette.

"When you don't get that nicotine then the symptoms of craving start to develop," said Dr. Andrew Pipe, a smoking cessation physician at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

"You're starting to feel restless. Then gradually symptoms of withdrawal kick in. Now you start to feel physically uncomfortable. You may get a headache, you may become very irritable, and so they go and seek nicotine."

So now what we have is a big mess.- Neil Collishaw, research director, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada

All along there has been an assumption that the risk to youth would be balanced by the reduction in adult smoking. But vaping's healthy halo is based more on wishful thinking than on evidence.

"People were proceeding on hope, while I would have preferred a much more cautious approach," said Neil Collishaw, research director at Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. "So now what we have is a big mess."

'Hope' without evidence 

Vaping products crept into Canada under the radar more than a decade ago as specialty shops began popping up across the country. Until last May it was illegal in Canada to sell a vape product containing nicotine.

"What happened in the interim is they were illegal but tolerated," said Collishaw. "Health Canada did not pursue enforcement of the law. Instead, they changed [the law] and made the products legal — always in the hope, but with very little evidence, that they would help."

Students outside West Carleton Secondary School, in the Ottawa area, hold e-cigarettes. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

Health Canada states on a tip sheet for parents that "vaping is intended to help smokers quit tobacco." But whose "intention" is not clear. So far, no vaping company has applied to Health Canada for approval to market e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation product, like nicotine gum or patches.

And vaping is still not widely used in smoking cessation programs. Doctors hesitate to encourage them in part because they're not certain about what ingredients the various vaping "juices" contain.

"It's a Wild West show in terms of what's in those products," said Pipe.

New research published this week found e-cigarettes used as part of an intense smoking cessation program work about as well as other methods.

"In all of the cessation supports we have — nicotine replacement therapy, gum, patches, drugs, drugs plus counselling — we are not getting better than 20 per cent," said Prof. Robert Schwartz, a tobacco control researcher at the University of Toronto. "That's because it's so addictive. It's as addictive as heroin."

• So your teenager is vaping. Here's what you can do

Using a number of smokers in the U.K. who wanted to quit, researchers assigned one group to use nicotine replacement products including patches and gum, and another group e-cigarettes. After one year, 18 per cent of the e-cigarette users were abstaining from cigarettes, compared to about 10 per cent of the patch and gum users.

But most of the people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking continued to vape after one year.

"These are smokers who came with the intention of stopping to smoke, so presumably they're highly motivated. If they're highly motivated to quit smoking and at one year they're still vaping, there is concern there," said Schwartz. "They're clearly still addicted to nicotine."

'Bloody difficult addiction'

And in the end most of the smokers kept on smoking.

"It's why we're still talking about people trying to quit smoking one hundred years after we've known it's a problem — because it's a bloody difficult addiction to beat," said Hammond.

So far, the data show that many people who start vaping also continue smoking, creating a whole new class of "dual users."

"Even if you smoke a little bit you are still at risk of major health effects," said Schwartz.

"These products can help some people to get off smoking," said Hammond. "They are not the revolution that some proponents suggest."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelly Crowe

Medical science

Kelly Crowe is a medical sciences correspondent for CBC News, specializing in health and biomedical research. She joined CBC in 1991, and has spent 25 years reporting on a wide range of national news and current affairs, with a particular interest in science and medicine.

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