Gov’t regulations aim to reduce vaping among young people in Sask.

The Saskatchewan government is looking to reduce vaping among younger people in the province.

On Monday, the government introduced new regulations which will restrict the sale of flavoured vapour products to adult-only vape shops, and which will limit the products’ availability to youth.

The amended regulations are to take effect Sept. 1. They won’t apply to tobacco and mint/menthol flavours.

“Vapour flavoured products like strawberry and ice cream give young people the false impression that vaping is harmless when it is every bit as habit-forming as smoking,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said in a media release.

“Building upon the legislation this government introduced to regulate vape products as we do tobacco, we want to provide our youth with every opportunity to choose to be tobacco- and vape-free.”

The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act, which took effect in February 2020, calls for:

• restricting the sale of vapour/e-cigarette devices and products to individuals 18 years of age and older;
• prohibiting the display of vapour/e-cigarette products in a retail business where young persons have access;
• restricting the use of vapour/e-cigarette products in and around public buildings, including schools and school grounds, in the same manner as our provincial tobacco legislation;
• prohibiting the sale of vapour/e-cigarette products from specified facilities such as amusement parks, arcades, and theatres where youth frequent;
• restricting advertising of vapour/e-cigarette products in the same manner as tobacco products by prohibiting advertising signs and promotional signs in areas where young persons can enter;
• providing the ability to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco and vapour products by regulation; and,
• expanding the authority of tobacco enforcement officers to include enforcement of vapour/e-cigarette product restrictions.

In its recent budget, the government also announced a 20 per cent retail tax on vaping liquids, devices and products would take effect Sept. 1.