Electronic cigarettes will now be subject to the same rules as normal cigarettes in Ontario. The provincial legislature passed a new law to this effect on Tuesday, which also includes the ban on the sale of flavored tobacco.
Electronic cigarettes will no longer be sold to young people aged 19 or younger. Advertisements and store displays will be regulated by law, and e-cigarettes should not be consumed in smoke-free public places. Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla says the province does not completely ban this "emerging technology" and remains accessible to people who want to quit.
Ms. Damerla added that the law could be changed if Health Canada approved e-cigarettes and considered them the other products to stop smoking. Only one member, a Progressive Conservative, voted against the bill because he believes he is restricting access to a product that helps some people get rid of this habit.
Randy Hillier says the technology helped him "significantly" reduce his consumption of normal cigarettes, adding that three of his employees had even managed to stop completely. "I have been a smoker for a long time. I have tried everything. I tried the eraser, the stamps and all the other known devices and they were not effectivesHe said.
Some anti-smoking groups believe that e-cigarettes simply maintain nicotine addiction and may even encourage some young people to start smoking. Others believe that this new technology is harmful to the health of smokers and their families. The Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control "applauds" Ontario's decision, encouraging the Quebec government to do the same quickly. However, the passing of the 44 bill in Quebec City, which is quite similar to that of the neighboring province, was postponed until the fall, the coalition said in a statement.
«This delay pushes for a few months the application of effective measures to prevent initiation to smoking when, over a period of three months, for example, it is more 3000 high school students who will learn about smoking in Quebec"Said Dr. Geneviève Bois, spokesperson for the coalition. A report tabled by the Standing Committee on Health in the House of Commons recommended that the government regulate the use of electronic cigarettes. Health Canada needs to respond to the recommendations by 8 next July.
Source : journalmetro.com/
