'We don't want a new generation of kids addicted to nicotine,' says one advocate
Health advocates are calling on the Ontario government to restrict advertising of vaping products in convenience stores across the province to prevent a generation of young people from becoming addicted to nicotine.
Michael Perley, director of the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, says the province needs to tighten laws on retail promotion of vaping products. His organization is urging Ontario to join other provinces in banning such ads.
"We don't want a new generation of kids addicted to nicotine who then move onto smoking because of the omnipresence of promotion of vaping products in retail," Perley told CBC Toronto on Wednesday.
Perley said the Ontario government has essentially legalize promotion of vaping products in retail stores.
It is illegal in Ontario to sell a vaping product to anyone under the age of 19. In May 2018, the federal government formally legalized vaping.
Ontario was set to ban the promotion of vaping products in convenience stores under the previous Liberal regime but the Doug Ford government paused regulations that were to come into effect in July 2018. It also revised regulations under the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017.
"At the provincial government level, we have unrestricted promotion in retail settings like convenience stores and gas bars. They can put up posters. They can put up freestanding promotions. All that was legalized last year," Perley said.
"Retailers were given the specific ability to promote in store their products. We now have research that's beginning to come on this matter and showing that when young people are asked what the role of these promotions is, they are more likely to vape and more likely to be interested in vaping if they see promotions in stores."
Perley said cigarette advertising in stores was restricted years ago because of its influence on young people, but now, vaping advertising has taken its place. Manufacturers are placing ads on display covers and setting up freestanding displays. He said there is no limit.
"It normalizes the product," he said. "Every kid that comes into a convenience store or goes into similar outlet at a gas bar gets the message that these are okay, these are not tobacco, they are safer than tobacco, they taste good because they have flavours."
Flavours are the bait to get children to become addicted to nicotine, he said.
For its part, the Ontario government said it has no immediate plans to restrict advertising of vaping products in stores that are not specialty vape stores.
Province vows to continue monitoring evidence
"As information on vaping continues to grow, Ontario will continue to monitor the evidence and will take action, as appropriate," David Jensen, spokesperson for the Ontario health ministry, said in an email on Wednesday.
Under the Smoke Free Ontario Act, retail outlets such as convenience stores or gas bars can promote, but not display, vapour products, as long as the promotion complies with federal legislation, specifically the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.
The federal law bans any promotion of tobacco or vapour products, including advertising, that may be appealing to young people.
It also limits the promotion of vaping products by banning: lifestyle advertising; sponsorship promotion; giveaways of vaping products or branded merchandise; sale and promotion of vaping products that make the product appealing to youth, such as interesting shapes or sounds; promotion of certain flavours like candy, desserts, or soft drinks that may be appealing to youth; and product promotion by testimonials or endorsements.
Perley said the federal rules are loosely enforced and largely permissive and the term "appealing to young people," has not been defined. Although there are federal inspectors who enforce the law, their numbers are small, he said.
"To expect the federal government to enforce anything that is going on in thousands of thousands of retail outlets in Ontario is just nonsense," he added. "It won't happen."
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