Owners of electronic cigarette shops are angry at the new tobacco law and are now turning to the courts for invalidation.
A new group, the Association québécoise des vapoteries (AQV), was officially born two days ago with this goal in mind. She challenged in the Superior Court several aspects of the Act to strengthen the fight against smoking (44 law) adopted last November. New players are added every day, assures the president, Valérie Gallant, also owner of the vaping Vape Classique, in Quebec City.
The motion was filed Thursday morning at the courthouse in Quebec City. The 23 documents dispute, in 105 points, eight articles of the 44 law that relate to vaping. A first hearing is scheduled for April 6.
More specifically, the AQV disputes on two grounds: freedom of expression and freedom of commerce.
With the 44 law, "homeowners do not have the right to share (or post) an article or study that affects the electronic cigarette without being interpreted as advertising for our businesses. Our freedom of expression and our commercial law are violated", Regrets Ms. Gallant. A "vapotery" owner, Daniel Marien, even complained to the Journal that Ministry of Health inspectors had banned him from publishing newspaper articles on his personal Facebook page. In short, traders are practically no longer entitled "to inform the public, so it's hard to make an informed choiceFor customers, according to his claims.
The AQV also disputes the ban on trying e-cigarettes in the shop. "Me, my clientele, are 40-60 year olds. My mom asks me to help her with her TV controller, so imagine when you come up with electronic products… It's hard. Now we have to tell them: go and try it outside, after paying $ 100. If the customer doesn't like it, he wasted his money.»
For those who would like to use vaping to help them quit smoking, it's harder to learn and harder to try. The AQV therefore concludes thatgovernment policy, which aims to limit access to e-cigarettes, contravenes the legitimate goal of reducing the consumption of tobacco products».
As for the commercial aspect, the AQV denounces the prohibition to sell their products on the Web, whereas it was a practical way of obtaining equipment for vapers in the regions. And what do people who buy on the web do? "It's the vapoteries of Ontario that have the mannaSays Gallant.
However, members of the group support certain aspects of the new anti-smoking law, including the ban on sales to minors and the ban on vaping in public places. However,the Association condemns and challenges a law that actually hurts people who try to reduce or stop their consumption of toxic tobacco products».
At the end of August, public health authorities in Britain published an independent study that reveals that "E cigarettes are significantly (95%) less harmful than tobacco and can potentially 
help smokers stop". The study indicates that there is currently "no proofThe bridging effect that young vapers would eventually smoke cigarettes.
It was this fear that prompted Quebec to take the hard line on e-cigarettes in its new law.
Last Sunday, the JE program revealed that electronic cigarette liquids were sometimes made under dubious conditions and could contain dangerous products, a situation largely attributable to the lack of federal standards in this area.
It is the Minister for Public Health, Lucie Charlebois, who is behind Bill 44. In his office, we refuse to comment since the case is now before the courts.
Source : Journalduquebec.com
