Vaping has proven to be a less harmful alternative to smoking.
According to Canada’s news report, Numerous smokers gathered in Ottawa to tell the newly elected Liberal government that a flavor ban on vapor products would prompt smokers to return to smoking and discourage smokers from trying potentially lives.
In its regulatory proposal, the government made it clear that it expects certain dual users will only return to smoking due to the proposal.
The science is precise. “Vapor products are less harmful than cigarettes.” It is an inconvenient truth for those who control tobacco. It’s a fact for those who believe in harm reduction.” said Maria Papaioannoy, spokesperson for Rights4Vapers. “More than 1 million Canadians smoke e-cigarettes, and the number of vapers has increased by nearly 5 million. Are we going to ignore them and stick with the old-fashioned harm reduction idea that you either quit or die?
Vaping is proving to be a less harmful alternative to smoking. Public health authorities worldwide have made it clear that vaping can be an effective tool to help smokers quit. But only if the proper regulatory and social framework is in place.
The Canadian government has introduced increasingly stringent controls under the guise of protecting youth from e-cigarettes. If the flavor ban passes, millions of Canadian smokers will have limited choice in harm-reduction products. Vaping users will return to smoking (as Health Canada notes in its regulatory proposal), and a black market for unregulated and unsafe products will flourish.
“We are now particularly concerned about the proposed flavor ban put forward by Health Canada. It goes against the spirit and intent of Senate Bill S-5 (Nov. 22, 2016), which passed in 2018. Senators and MPs subsequently understood that vaping could be a tool to achieve Canada’s tobacco control. Over the past four years, Health Canada regulators appear to have removed the science from the discussion and focused on the emotional aspects of vaping.” said Christina Sidus, a spokeswoman for CDVQ.
The flavor is an essential part of the vaping experience for adult smokers. Flavor helps smokers switch from traditional cigarettes to vapor products. In 2018, Congress held hearings on amendments to the tobacco law (Bill S5).
Experts told the federal government that flavored vapor products are essential.
Now is the time for all governments to listen.
For Canadians who smoke and are looking for safer alternatives to cigarettes, vapor products are the best hope. Earlier this year, Public Health England released its latest review of vapor research. It found that the best thing smokers can do is quit smoking, and evidence suggests that vaping devices are one of the most effective smoking cessation aids, helping about 50,000 smokers quit each year.
