P.E.I. bans flavoured vape products

Flavoured vape and e-cigarette products are now banned on Prince Edward Island.

The new regulations came into effect on March 1st and the changes  are part of a private members bill from PC MLA Cory Deagle, which received unanimous support from the legislature in 2019.

"The only flavour you'll be able to use would be tobacco flavoured so all those other flavours will be gone," Deagle told CBC.  "This is probably one of the biggest steps that we're going to see trying to get rid of, or at least reduce, the amount of youth that are vaping."

This is the province's latest effort to curb youth vaping. In March 2020, P.E.I. increased the age of access for tobacco and vaping products to 21. In addition, this cut c-stores out of the equation by making products only available through vape shops and tobacconists.

"Obviously the age was big, and restricting the access to it was big as well. But the flavours are, I think, clearly what draws youth to it and keeps them on the product as well as being addicted to nicotine," Deagle said. "Really the flavours is what keeps them coming back."

Retailers were told of the flavour ban in August 2020 so they would have time to "deplete their inventory of flavoured electronic smoking device products."

Deagle hopes the changes on P.E.I. will inspire other provinces to follow suit: "I think it went quite far, it'll be some of the strictest regulations in Canada."