Saskatchewan has unanimously passed legislation to regulate vaping and vaping products under the existing tobacco legislation, as defined in The Tobacco Control Act.
These amendments include limiting the sale of vaping products and e-cigarette devices to individuals 18 years or older, and prohibiting the display of vaping products where young persons have access.
Vaping products will now also follow the same advertising restrictions as tobacco products, where they cannot be advertised or promoted in areas where young people may enter.
It is now also illegal to use vaping products or e-cigarettes around public buildings, in the same way that use of tobacco products are limited.
These restrictions are expected to be in force by early 2020.
Beginning now, the Ministry of Health will begin implementing supporting regulations to enforce the restrictions, and new signage prohibiting the use of vaping products will become available for public buildings, schools, and retail locations.
Among the new regulations, no amendments addressed the discontinuation of flavoured vaping products, although Health Minister Jim Reiter noted that the Ministry is continuing to discuss that issue.
“Quick passage of this legislation demonstrates how important it is to further protect our youth from vaping,” Reiter said, in a press release. “I want to thank our partners and health stakeholders for their support for this legislation and look forward to consulting with them again on the regulations and how to best address flavoured vaping products.”
These amendments come after Health Canada announced it is monitoring the long-term health risks of vaping, after reports of respiratory illnesses that have been potentially linked to vaping.
The new legislation hopes to protect teens from the health risks of vaping, much like tobacco legislation.
