Vaping out of the shadows

The Canadian federal government’s new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act will force tobacco companies to use standardized packaging, but it also opens a world of advertising possibilities for e-liquids and e-cigarettes, according to a story by Jackie Sharkey for CBS News.

The new law, which received royal assent last week, legalized and regulated what had been a “bold, black market,” said David Hammond, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s chair in applied health and professor at the University of Waterloo.

Though technically illicit, the story said, nicotine e-liquid was available at vape shops and other stores in most cities across the country, though most big international companies had stayed out of the market.

But with legalization, Hammond predicts Canadians will see big multi-national companies move into the marketplace, along with their advertisements.

“For the first time in decades, you could see TV or front-page newspaper ads for recreational nicotine products,” he said.

Hammond, who testified before Parliament while the law was being drafted, said advertising was the most contentious part of the new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.

In fact, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is recommending stronger regulations for the advertising components of the act, something Health Canada is considering through consultations.

There is a lot at stake.

“[Companies] will not be able to make a health claim immediately, but Health Canada is working on regulations to that effect,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy advisor for the CCS.