Robert BarnesThe Canadian government has outlined a proposed set of new regulations that will require vape manufacturers to disclose all ingredients found in vaping products, like vape juices, to Health Canada. In addition, these manufacturers would be required to disclose information regarding the sales of their products.
The news was released by Health Canada on June 17, 2022.
The proposed mandate comes after continued pressure from the Canadian federal government to increase regulations around tobacco and similar products. These include cigarettes, cigars, and of course, vaping products.
A 45-day public consultation period has been issued by the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, The Honourable Carolyn Bennet, which will aid in determining the development plans for the regulations regarding the reporting of vaping products.
“As the vaping market continues to evolve rapidly and entice Canadians, including young people, to use vaping products, we are taking action to better protect everyone in Canada by more fully understanding the impact of these products on their health,” said Carolyn Bennet.
“The proposed regulations will help us educate Canadians about the health harms while furthering research aimed at reducing the amount of people impacted by harms related to tobacco and vaping product use across the country.”
This would be the first mandate of its kind in the world.
“A large number of vaping substances are available across the country and new formulations are frequently introduced with new flavors,” a press release stated. “Health Canada is restricted in its capacity to properly track market trends due to limited access to information on vaping products sales and composition.”
The ability to track ingredients found in a continually growing market like vaping definitely has merit, but there are also potential unwanted side effects for such a mandate, particularly for the manufacturers.
The Potential Benefits of the Mandate
Despite the seemingly constant barrage of regulations that vaping has faced over the past few years, there are still benefits to be found with proper regulation.
The first, and possibly the most important, of these benefits is further control over the types of ingredients and additives in products, as well as their quality. A mandate like this would further reinforce quality control of vaping products in Canada.
The potential for good should not be ignored, especially when considering the amount of misinformation that constantly circulates the headlines of major news outlets.
For example, reported lung injuries are often attributed to vaping when in reality these injuries are a result of unregulated THC vape products and other illicit products. These injuries have played a huge role in how vaping has been demonized in the past, which it still suffers from in the public’s eyes even today.
The reported information could also provide new data for vape research and development. This is another benefit that could lead to new information becoming public, concerning reported medical implications of vaping.
Any of the previously seen headlines relating to vape injuries could be a thing of the past once specific ingredients have either been deemed fully researched and safe or alternatively deemed harmful and as such prohibited fairly.
Potential Downsides of Increased Regulation
On the other hand, regulations are often associated with negative connotations, and oftentimes for good reason.
One of the biggest downsides to the potential mandate is the potential for increased taxation. Alcohol, tobacco, and vaping are already subject to heavy taxes, and having the sales figures of vaping manufacturers could only worsen this.
“Federally, Canada has among the most stringent regulations globally which have been reinforced by the provinces through a host of provincial Acts designed to protect young people and non-smokers,” said Darryl Tempest.
Tempest serves as government relations counsel to the Canadian Vaping Association board.
Canada’s Strict Regulatory Background
Canada already represents one of the most regulated countries with regards to vaping products. All vaping products that are manufactured, labeled, or sold in Canada fall under the regulations found in the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, Food and Drug Act, and the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.
In Summary
The federal Canadian government has made a proposal that will require manufacturers of vape products like vape juice to fully disclose ingredient lists for review by Health Canada. This mandate will also require manufacturers to submit sales figures of individual products from their manufacturers.
The mandate will continue Canada’s strict regulatory process for vape manufacturers. The benefits of such a mandate could be better understanding of potentially harmful ingredients as the effects of vaping are further explored. A potential downside is the risk of increased taxation based off of sales figures of certain products – a concern with merit given Canada’s already heavy taxation of such products.
Versed Vaper Team
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