Tag: Canada

Dr. Phil Spreads False Info, Blames Nicotine for EVALI
Misinformation continues to be a challenge for the vaping industry. After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that vitamin E acetate in black market marijuana vaping products was the cause e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) more than a year ago, many media outlets continue to falsely blame nicotine vaping products for the lung illness that was first identified in 2019.
Credit: drphil.com
On his Friday episode of the show Dr. Phil, American TV personality Phillip Calvin McGraw, also known as Dr. Phil, wrongly blamed the EVALI lung illness outbreak on vaping nicotine products. Speaking to a guest who stated she only used nicotine vaping products, McGraw said he “was puzzled” by the guest’s understanding that vaping, while not entirely safe, is safer than smoking combustible cigarettes.
“Ventilators, hospitals, deaths … there is lots of news out there on this,” McGraw said. “This isn’t a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of science.” The host then went on to use several news reports wrongly blaming nicotine for EVALI to support his statements. According to Nielsen data, the average daily audience of the Dr. Phil Show is 2.9 million viewers.
Reports of serious illnesses and deaths related to vaping began mounting in summer 2019. By mid-February 2020, the CDC reported more than 2,800 cases of lung injuries requiring hospitalization across all 50 states, and 68 deaths. After nearly six months of falsely claiming nicotine vaping products were the cause of the outbreak, the CDC finally admitted that the cause was illicit THC vaping products and not nicotine vaping products.
By July of 2020, the CDC said that states no longer needed to track lung-related injuries caused by marijuana-based vapor products, partly because cases have dropped. The CDC said it stopped requiring states to report the numbers in February of 2020 after it pinpointed vitamin E acetate as the culprit in THC vaping products that were making people sick, but didn’t make the public announcement until nearly five months later.
McGraw holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased renewing his license to practice psychology in 2006, according to Wikipedia. The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now strongly recommend that people avoid use of “e-cigarettes or vaping products containing THC, especially from the illicit market.”
The UK and EU have a different view on e-cigarettes and whether or not combustible tobacco smokers should make the switch. More and more smokers began transitioning over to vapor products after the Public Health England stated that vaping is 95 percent safer than smoking cigarettes. Experts have pointed out that EVALI cases are almost exclusive to the United States and haven’t made a blip on the radar globally. In the UK, there are approx. 3.6 million e-cigarette users with virtually no EVALI cases reported during the media coverage period in 2019 and early 2020.
There were also little to no cases of EVALI in Canada and Mexico, the closest foreign neighbors to the US. “EVALI was largely the result of an unregulated illicit THC vape market in the United States which didn’t follow safe production standards” says Allan Rewak, executive director of Canada-based Vaping Industry Trade Association (VITA) in Nov. of 2020. “Canada’s nicotine vape market was on the final path toward federal regulation at the time, which prevented EVALI from occurring in any significant way north of the border.”
The use of EVALI to spread fear on nicotine vaping in Mexico and in Latin America was particularly crude, dishonest and more intense than in other places, according to Roberto Sussman, senior researcher and lecturer at the National University of Mexico and founder and director of Pro-Vapeo. .
“Up to this day, all officials of the health ministry in Mexico are still blam[ing] nicotine vaping,” says Sussman. “And when you try to engage them, they say, ‘No, no, no. That’s it. Full stop. End of discussion.’ That’s it.” Since EVALI has now been found to be caused by illegal THC vape pens, not nicotine-based e-cigarettes, Sussman says “no one has told Latin America.”
In late 2020, Mexico’s president signed legislation prohibiting the importation, manufacture and distribution of all noncombustible products tobacco (vaping) products, including heat-not-burn products. “Their justification was that we need to protect Mexican youth from EVALI. Given the proximity of the U.S., this epidemic can come to Mexico any time,” says Sussman. “Pure fear-mongering and they’ve refused all debate.”
Brad Jemmett, a former long-time smoker and now general manager for SnowPlus – an innovation based vape company – suggests that the core of what drove the negative media was a localized, US issue.
“Globally, we don’t really see EVALI cases like there were in the US, because EVALI was linked to illicit marijuana vapes, and most specifically the addition of Vitamin E acetate as a thickening agent. Our products on the other hand, are developed and tested to the highest degree, and designed specifically for adult smokers looking to transition out of smoking,” he said. “At SnowPlus, we never have and never will use Vitamin E acetate in any of our products. Through innovation, we’ve aimed to simulate the smoking ritual with vape technology, to provide a less harmful alternative compared to smoking cigarettes.”
April 19, 2021
Spyder Cannabis Acquires Vape Retailer 180 Smoke
Spyder Cannabis Inc. has closed on its acquisition of 180 Smoke, a Canadian e-cigarette retailer. On March 30, Spyder purchased all of the shares of 180 Smoke from CRHC Holdings Corp., parent to 180 Smoke. on a cash-free basis (after post-closing adjustments), for nominal consideration. Additionally, Spyder secured a strategic institutional investor to lead the acquisition of all the existing debt of 180 Smoke, according to a press release.
“We are extremely excited to welcome 180 Smoke to the Spyder team, which undoubtedly strengthens our management and operating teams bringing strong retail processes and expertise to Spyder,” said Dan Pelchovitz, president and CEO of Spyder. “The acquisition of 180 Smoke significantly accelerates the development of Spyder’s cannabis and vape retail growth strategy, providing access to an iconic brand name, an established platform, and a loyal customer base. We are excited by the prospects ahead of us and executing on our immediate cannabis retail expansion plans in Ontario.”
Spyder will have the ability to utilize its wholly-owned subsidiary’s Retail Operator License issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to convert some of 180 Smoke’s existing vape retail locations to licensed cannabis dispensaries by obtaining a Retail Store Authorization from the AGCO, the release states. The acquisition is expected to immediately increase Spyder’s consolidated revenue with the addition of 180 Smoke’s nicotine vape sales, franchise revenue and other wholesale and distribution revenue which generated approximately $12.9 million in unaudited net revenue with gross margins of 50% during the year ended December 31, 2020.
180 Smoke’s 91 employees who will continue to operate 180 Smoke’s 18 brick-and-mortar vape retail locations, 8 franchises, and its corporate head office and distribution warehouse, following the closing of the acquisition.180 Smoke’s current customer base includes 92,481 in-store accounts, 98,052 online accounts, as well as 235 specialty wholesale vape B2B accounts, according to the release. Spyder expects to integrate its 2 brick-and-mortar vape retail stores with those of 180 Smoke’s to “leverage the acquired know-how and intellectual property, including retail store design and layout, standard operating procedures, administrative systems and customer support, human resources and staff training, and accounting.”
March 31, 2021
P.E.I. Lawmaker: Flavor Ban Could Boost Cigarette Sales
A Green MLA on Canada’s Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) who voted in favor of a private member’s bill to restrict the sale of flavored vaping products now says he believes vaping could be an important tool to get Islanders to quit smoking.
During question period on March 4, Green MLA Steve Howard said there is evidence that vaping could be considered a form of “harm reduction” for Islanders attempting to give up smoking. Smoking is often described by health officials as one of the leading causes of preventable deaths on P.E.I., according to a story in the Journal Pioneer.
Steve Howard / Credit: cbc.ca
Howard suggested that a bill that came into effect at the beginning of March, which banned flavored vaping products, would encourage youth to seek out flavored products on the black market.
The bill, introduced by Progressive Conservative backbencher Cory Deagle in 2019, also increased the legal age for tobacco and vaping products from 19 to 21 and limited the sale of vaping products to tobacco shops. The bill did not restrict the sale of tobacco products to tobacco shops. It passed unanimously in fall 2019.
“Many of the severe vaping illnesses we saw last year and in 2019 were linked to black market products. These black market products most often appear and become commercially viable when governments introduced wide-ranging restrictions on legal products,” Howard said.
“Are you concerned your regulatory approach will increase the availability and use of dangerous black market products?” Howard asked Minister of Finance Darlene Compton.
The question drew a rebuke from Compton. “I would suggest the Opposition pick a lane – pick any lane – and they’re all paved,” Compton said. “You do not want regulated gambling but you’re happy with regulated cannabis and you’re happy with regulated liquor. And now, you want regulated vaping or you want people to use unregulated vaping. I mean, pick a lane.”
In an interview, Howard said he had initially voted for the 2019 bill because he agreed it was important to ban flavored vaping products that are marketed to youth, such as cotton candy. But Howard said the regulations put in place ended up banning all flavored products, except those that resembled tobacco products.
He said this effectively nullified any possibility Islanders could transition to vaping as a means of quitting smoking. “Of course, the best option is to not use vaping or smoking,” Howard said. “But as far as a harm reduction tool goes, vaping is a powerful tool that we should not be discouraging people from using. And the flavors are a key component to uptake.”
Howard pointed to a posting on the Health Canada website that suggested there is evidence vaping could help with smoking cessation. He said the regulations should be changed to target vaping flavors targeted to youth. But he also suggested schools have a role to play.
“We don’t have anything in our curriculum in the education system right now to do with vaping. We have tobacco use, we have opiates, we have cannabis, we have alcohol. But we don’t have any education in there on vaping itself,” Howard said.
March 7, 2021
P.E.I. Flavor Ban for Vapor Products Starts Today
Flavored vaping products are banned on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The regulation changes were passed by cabinet in August of last year. It comes as part of a private members bill from PC MLA Cory Deagle, which received unanimous support from the legislature in 2019, to crack down on nicotine use among young people.
Manager J-K Thorne holds some of the flavored products that are no longer available at Wild Impulse vape shop. (Shane Hennessey/CBC – image credit)
“The only flavor you’ll be able to use would be tobacco flavored so all those other flavors will be gone,” Deagle said. “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.”
Vendors were notified of the upcoming ban on flavored products in August 2020, in a letter distributed by the Department of Health and Wellness, according to the CBC. The letter said the department believed that with six month advance notice, “tobacconist shops have sufficient time to deplete their inventory of flavored electronic smoking device products.”
At Wild Impulse, a vape shop in Charlottetown, the shelves were still full of flavored products last Friday afternoon, with the ban just days away. Manager J-K Thorne said the store carries more than 45 flavors for vaping, but as of March 1st, they will only be able to sell ones that are tobacco flavored, flavorless or labelled clear, adding that the flavor ban is also pushing former smokers back to combustible cigarettes.
“Customers are a little disappointed. They feel that they have something to lean on if they wanted to get off cigarettes,” Thorne said. “They found that the tobacco flavor actually reminded them of cigarettes, but it wasn’t good enough, and it actually brought them back to buying cigarettes, which is a little unfortunate.”
March 1, 2021
CVA Asks for Meeting With Nova Scotia Government
A Canadian vapor trade group extended an open invitation to Nova Scotia’s new government. The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) letter to Premier Iain Rankin and 16 cabinet ministers stated that the organization wants to “work with industry to repair the destructive vaping legislation implemented by the previous administration.”
Credit: Toptop54
The Canadian province’s current legislation prohibits all flavored vaping products excluding tobacco and has a .50 cent per/ml tax. The policies have resulted in a drastic increase in traditional cigarette sales, as confirmed by the Atlantic Convenience Store Association and Abacus Data finding 30 percent of adult vapers are at risk of returning to smoking, according to the letter.
“Vaping has conclusively shown to be less harmful than smoking, and as such, vaping regulation must balance adult smokers’ constitutional right to life, liberty, and the security of the person with youth protection. In acting to protect youth, Nova Scotia has overcorrected to the detriment of public health,” the letter states.
The flavor ban has resulted in the closure of over 85 percent of Nova Scotia’s specialty vape retailers, job losses and broken lease agreements. The regulation has also strengthened illicit marketing of the products.
“The CVA has developed solutions to balancing youth use with adult harm reduction that have been successful within Ontario and British Columbia,” said Darryl Tempest, executive director of the CVA. “We continue to work to seek solutions to prevent use with youth and never smokers. The CVA asks for the opportunity to meet with the new administration to discuss solutions and present the science.”
February 24, 2021
SnowPlus Teams With Canadian Manufacturer Dvine
SnowPlus has started to re-allocate certain aspects of its production to Canada. The China-based vaping hardware manufacturer confirmed its partnership with Canadian manufacturing company, Dvine Laboratories, in a recent press release.
Credit: SnowPlus
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Dvine Laboratories to have SnowPlus products manufactured in Canada under the stringent standards of quality,” said Brad Jemmett, general manager of SnowPlus Canada “Having a trusted local manufacturing partner will not only improve our supply chain, but also allow SnowPlus to offer premium quality e-Liquids made by Canadians, for Canadian adult vapers.”
The outpost will be located in Lindsay, Ontario. The company states that localization has become an important part of its growth strategy and it no longer needs to rely on one region or producer to be responsible for all of its production needs. An estimated 90 percent of the world’s vaping and e-cigarette devices are designed and manufactured by about 1,000 factories throughout Shenzhen, China, with thousands more companies forming the supply chain throughout Guangdong province.
The move makes SnowPlus the only domestic and international source for vape products and accessories in Canada. “We’re thrilled to have a partner like SnowPlus. Not only are they as committed to quality standards as we are, they share in our values of giving back to the communities we serve,” stated Nick Paparamborda, vp of sales at Dvine Laboratories. “This partnership will create more jobs for Canadians and opportunities for small business owners.”
SnowPlus and Dvine Laboratories have stated that e-liquid for Canadian SnowPlus products will be produced in Canada, as well as filling pods, final assembly and packaging. “This ensures that product output is consistent to our government specifications and testing standards. The result is a Canadian vetted product that can be purchased locally,” the release states.
February 19, 2021
Vape Shop Owner Fighting Nova Scotia Restrictions
The latest round of restrictions for the vaping industry by Nova Scotia’s government has caught the ire of the co-owner of a vape shop in Dartmouth. William MacEachern of the Cloud Factory Vape Shop is seeking an injunction against the eastern Canadian province’s newest restrictions on vaping, arguing they unfairly burden adults who are trying to kick a bad habit.
Credit: Fraser Institute
MacEachern launched a constitutional challenge against increased taxes on vaping products, a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and e-liquids, and a prohibition on sampling items in vaping shops, according to Global News. His lawyers say the case is about Nova Scotians’ access to a valuable harm reduction tool in the war against a “No. 1″ killer: cigarettes.
“In basically doubling the cost of our applicant’s vaping products, it greatly reduces their access,” said MacEachern’s lawyer, Sarah Emery. “We’re not arguing that he has an economic interest to cheap vape products as a recreational use, we’re arguing this is a matter of access and that goes to Section 7 rights to security of the person.”
Emery and her partners at Patterson law are seeking an immediate suspension of vaping rules that came into effect in 2020 — rules that earned the province a good deal of praise from Canadian health advocates when first announced in 2019.
In April 2020, Nova Scotia became the first Canadian province to ban the sale of flavored vape juices and e-cigarettes in an effort to reduce their appeal to youth. Higher taxes went into effect in September that year, bringing the rate to 50 cents per ml of e-liquid, and 20 percent of the retail price of all devices.
January 27, 2021
Canadian Vapor Group Vows to Fight All Regulations
The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) has vowed to fight any regulations for the vaping industry that it views as onerous. In a press release, the CVA states that the organization has been a consistent advocate for strong youth protection measures and that a balance of youth prevention with allowing adult access to harm reduction products is necessary.
“While the CVA has a history of advocating for reasonable measures to protect youth, policy that violates the right to integrity and personal security as well as freedom of expression will be challenged through the proper legal channels,” said Darryl Tempest, executive director of the CVA. “Science supports vaping as harm reduction and draconian measures have previously been found to be unconstitutional by the Superior Court, which heard the industry’s arguments against Bill 44. Our preference will always be to work with regulators to implement effective policy, however where regulators choose to ignore the data, the industry will challenge policy that is detrimental to public health.”
Provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia have taken adult harm reduction into consideration and implemented equitable policy. Yet, provinces such as Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have failed to follow the science and instead have jeopardized the health of thousands of smokers, according to the release.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation found that banning flavored vaping products or restricting nicotine content “may violate s. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which safeguards the right to life, liberty and the security of the person, because the nicotine ceiling and flavour restriction may potentially make vaping products a less attractive or effective quit-aid for smokers.”
The CVA states that it will continue to provide regulators with the science supporting flavors are the driver for adoption and the key to cessation success. “Canadian’s have a constitutional right to access harm reduction products and reduce the health risks presented by traditional tobacco,” the release states. “Judge Dumais who heard the industry’s case against Bill 44 wrote that while the provisions take into account the well being of non-smokers, it seemed to forget the rest of the population, including smokers trying to quit.”
Despite, the Canadian Constitution Foundation cautioning governments that action such as flavor bans may violate the rights of Canadians, “Nova Scotia proceeded to implement both excessive taxation and a full ban on flavors.” As a result, vape shop owner Bill McEachern has launched a constitutional challenge, that will be heard on January 25th. The CVA has given McEachern its full support and will continue to support all challenges to harmful legislation.
“As a society, we often wrongfully look at addiction as the result of one’s own actions. By viewing nicotine addiction as a choice, smokers are dehumanized and left behind by poor policy,” the release states. “Governments must acknowledge that in Canada all citizens are equal under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Vaping policy must respect the rights of all citizens as the lives of adult smokers quite literally depend on it.”
January 21, 2021
Vaporesso First CRC-Compliant Brand in Canada

Credit: Vaporesso
Vaporesso is the first refillable vapor product to pass Canada’s Child Resistant Certified (CRC) regulation. The rule was imposed by the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA).
Vaporesso, which is owned by the world’s largest vapor company Smoore International, received certification for its ZERO and XROS CRC devices. The GTX TANK 22 CRC version compatible with the GEN S, GEN Nano, LUXE II, and SWAG II mods, was also approved.
Similar to the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) in the United States, Canada’s CRC-compliance is a federal requirement for all vaping manufacturers who want to continue advertising and selling their vaping products in Canada. The regulation serves to prevent children and teenagers from using vaping products, according to a press release.
“Working closely with the official authorities, Vaporesso is committed to leading the industry into strictly complying with all vaping-related regulations,” the release states. “The brand’s purpose is to prevent people who haven’t reached the legal age from using vaping products while maintaining the industry’s healthy development.”
The brand’s ZERO refillable pod system was compliant with the ISO8317 child-proof standard certification before the CRC Act took effect in the vaping industry. As a result, Vaporesso quickly redesigned the GTX TANK 22 into a new CRC-compliant version launched in 2020.
November 5, 2020
British Columbia’s Vaping Rules May Breach Charter Rights

Credit: Obi Onyeador
There are potential constitutional issues arising from the recently announced amendments to British Columbia’s (B.C.) vaping regulations, states the Canadian Constitution Foundation.
The new vaping legislation, which amends B.C.’s Public Health Act and the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Regulation, will impose a limit on nicotine concentrations to 20mg/ml for products sold in retail locations, will call for plain packaging for vaping substances, will ban the sale of flavoured vapour products except in age-restricted specialty stores, will restrict advertising in spaces where youth may be present and will require vaping substances for sale to be packaged with a skull-and-crossbones health hazard symbol and a health warning.
The CCF said that the new vaping regulations may violate s. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which safeguards the right to life, liberty and the security of the person, because the nicotine ceiling and flavour restriction may potentially make vaping products a less attractive or effective quit-aid for smokers, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine.
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The CCF also said that the new legislation may breach s. 2(b) of the Charter, which protects the right to freedom of expression, in light of the imposition of plain packaging, with no images or text allowed beyond the brand name and regulatory text. The CCF argued that the new regulations extensively limit the packaging and display of vaping products, in violation of the requirement for restrictions on free speech to be no greater than is reasonably necessary.
Moreover, the requirement of plain packaging may prevent smokers who may benefit from a switch to vaping products from being exposed to such products or lessen the opportunity for exposure, said the CCF.
“Rules that confine the sale of vaping products to shops that sell them exclusively will result in fewer smokers being exposed to them in convenience stores, where they likely already shop for their cigarettes,” the CCF further said.
The CCF cited a February 2020 report written by Leonid Sirota, senior lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology’s Law School, wherein Sirota emphasized the rights of current smokers who are seeking to quit, according to the article.
“The conflation of vaping and smoking within the law runs contrary to the best available evidence and risks conveying to smokers the impression that vaping is not meaningfully different and better than smoking, discouraging them from trying what may be the best harm-reduction method available,” said Sirota.
August 23, 2020