The federal law regulating tobacco and vaping products hasn91裸聊视频檛 kept up with the rapidly changing menu of nicotine items on the market, prompting an anti-smoking group to lament the lack of legislative updates.
Addictions Minister Ya91裸聊视频檃ra Saks quietly tabled an internal review of the anti-tobacco legislation at the end of the spring sitting of Parliament, just before MPs returned to their ridings for the summer.
It found that 91裸聊视频渟ignificant progress91裸聊视频� has been made to address tobacco-related death and disease in Canada, and recommended no amendments to the legislation.
But the review also shows the rate of people who quit smoking has remained more or less the same for the last 20 years.
Meanwhile, rates of youth vaping have more than doubled since the legislation was expanded to regulate vaping in 2018, and new nicotine products have come on the market.
91裸聊视频淧eople who grew up smoking cigarettes continue to smoke cigarettes,91裸聊视频� said Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. 91裸聊视频淵ounger generations are shifting from cigarettes to vaping products, and they91裸聊视频檙e doing so in greater numbers.91裸聊视频�
The report landed during an ongoing spat between the tobacco industry and Health Minister Mark Holland, who has vowed to prevent more Canadians from becoming addicted.
Part of the problem is the government has continued to play 91裸聊视频渨hack-a-mole91裸聊视频� with new nicotine products ever since the legislation was expanded to include vaping in 2018, said University of Waterloo professor David Hammond.
91裸聊视频淲e always end up with sort of a government scrambling to catch up to the most recent products and finding that they91裸聊视频檙e regulated through a slightly different avenue,91裸聊视频� said Hammond, who studies tobacco and vaping regulation.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e left with a situation where we have experienced an increase in nicotine uptake among young people for the first time in decades.91裸聊视频�
The legislation is intended to allow people who smoke to make the switch to a less harmful habit, like vaping, while protecting young people and non-smokers from becoming addicted.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 challenge the government91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频� sincerity and efforts, but quite clearly, they haven91裸聊视频檛 achieved the balance,91裸聊视频� said Hammond.
The report did highlight some potential areas of improvement, Saks91裸聊视频� office said in a statement Monday, and the minister91裸聊视频檚 staff plan to continue to refine their strategy accordingly.
91裸聊视频淏ased on our experience with reducing youth use of tobacco, we know that comprehensive measures can impact youth uptake and use of vaping products,91裸聊视频� the minister91裸聊视频檚 office said.
An advocacy group for people who have used vaping to break free of cigarettes called Rights4Vapers launched several letter-writing campaigns in an effort to preserve access to the tool they say best helped them quit.
The government has had similar struggles in regulating newer nicotine products like Zonnic, a pouch that users place between their gums and upper lip.
Holland promised a major crackdown on the pouches, which were approved by Health Canada to help people quit smoking but have also been used recreationally.
The pouches are subject to different rules than vape and tobacco products, and the minister was granted new powers in the recently passed budget bill to pull them off shelves if he considers them harmful and not being used to quit smoking.
Hammond said ideally all nicotine products would be regulated by a single, coherent regime.
Vaping has proven to be a helpful tool for some to quit cigarettes, Holland said last week when the report was tabled. But he added it is important to make sure that91裸聊视频檚 what they91裸聊视频檙e used for, and not as 91裸聊视频渁nother vector for addiction.91裸聊视频�
As for why the legislation isn91裸聊视频檛 being updated, Holland said he believes it91裸聊视频檚 best to target the industry for now.
91裸聊视频淚f we91裸聊视频檙e going to help people, I think we have to go after the industry, really expose the tactics that they use to addict people, how they go after young people,91裸聊视频� Holland said.
91裸聊视频淚 want to see us take every action that we can, but we can91裸聊视频檛 just take action for the sake of taking action. It needs to be informed by evidence.91裸聊视频�
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