Satus Update: Vaping In Canada

With all of the recent attention in the media, we thought it would be a good opportunity to address some of the concerns we've been hearing from our customers and the public in general regarding vaping. Safety concerns, flavour bans and the potential effects for DIY'ers in Canada are front of mind for us, and the industry as a whole. 

While some of this information may seem obvious to DIY'ers who'd been vaping for a while now, it is important in this climate of misinformation to be as informed as possible in order to educate and reassure people who do not vape and are worried about what they see in the news. 

The blanket term of "Vaping"

The term vaping refers to the act of heating a substance and subsequently inhaling the vapours of the heated product. This term is commonly associated with vaping e-juice via electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS). More recently, it has become an option to vape THC distillate using similar devices. 

It is important to make the distinction between the two types of vape as they're completely different in their style and intent. An ENDS is used exclusively for nicotine e-juice, whereas THC cartridges deliver vaporized THC. Recently it has been discovered that the tragic deaths in the United States were a result of vaping counterfeit, black market THC cartridges (1) and not e-juice (2) 

The illnesses were originally attributed to the THC cartridges containing vitamin e Acetate, which is a hydrophobic oil. This means that the vaporized oil could not be absorbed by the body, but rather would coat the lungs causing serious respiratory illness. Since that time, further studies have found additional toxic materials that contributed to health issues (3)

Vaping Safely

A well known fact among experienced DIY'ers is precisely the ingredients that go in to their mix. USP Grade PG and VG, Freebase or Salt nicotine and high quality food grade flavouring. Whether you purchase your favourite e-juice from brick and mortar stores or enjoy mixing your own, e-juice designed for ENDS are a simple product with known ingredients that have been used by tens of thousands of Canadians each year as an alternative to combustible tobacco cigarettes.

THC Cartridges are a different issue altogether. Still not legal in Canada and, linked to a number of tragic deaths in the United states means that individuals using these cartridges are potentially at risk to develop serious health issues. 

The Push back on flavours

The most recent action on a federal level with regards to e-juice flavours was the passing and implementation of Bill S5 (4). This bill was widely viewed favourable to both the consumer and the industry as a whole as it provided some legislative framework for the electronic cigarette industry in Canada (you can read our piece on the bill here). These regulations set standards for labelling, promotion, nicotine levels and prohibited packaging that could be misconstrued as aimed to youth, as well as prohibited certain ingredients (such as vitamins and caffeine) from being included in e-juice. 

More recently however, there has been an attempt to vilify the use of flavours in e-juice and attempts in both the United States (5) and Canada (7) (8) to ban flavoured e-juice entirely. E-juice is classified as a consumer product and is regulated on the federal level, meaning it is at Health Canada's jurisdiction to impose bans or allow the sale. Flavours have been shown to play a crucial role in helping adult smokers make the switch to vaping (6). The large majority of adult vapers prefer fruit flavored e-juice compared to tobacco flavours (7) (thanks to our friends at Dashvapes for this great information!)

What we've done

In the past week we've met with multiple candidates up for federal election in our local riding. Our intent was to provide as much information as possible about our industry, our products and what we think is a reasonable approach moving forward. It was a real eye opener for us to see exactly what our politicians knew, and how they would approach the issue of vaping in Canada. Both the candidates indicated the following information. 

- Neither were aware of the distinction between vaping an ENDS filled with e-juice and vaping a THC cartridge.

- They were both in favor of an evidence based approached to regulation by health Canada and were clear that they deferred any sort of issues pertaining to vaping to health Canada.

- In their door to door campaigning, neither candidate had heard any constituents bring up the issue of vaping.

What you can do

It may seem that we are fighting an uphill battle, given the amount of media attention vaping has received as of late. If you are as passionate about vaping as we are, and want to do your part - educate people as much as you can. Stay as informed as possible on the subject of vaping and the industry in Canada. Read beyond the click bait headlines and articles, and find the studies done on vaping and draw your own conclusions. Share this information with your family and friends and continue to push for a fair and evidence based approach.  

If you are looking for more information, or want to provide some easy to read information to friends and family, be sure to check out our friends over at Vaepworld. An excellent resource for vaping information in Canada. 

https://vaepworld.com/

Thanks for reading

-Dylan @ DIY


(1) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/counterfeit-dank-vapes-among-products-linked-lung-illnesses-n1059616

(2) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/new-study-not-one-vaping-illness-linked-to-legal-e-cigarette-pods

(3) https://www.leafly.ca/news/health/vape-pen-lung-disease-advice-consumers

(4) https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-regulation-vaping-products/s5-overview-regulate-vaping-products.html

(5) https://www.wsj.com/articles/court-temporarily-halts-new-yorks-ban-on-sale-of-flavored-e-cigarettes-11570138950

(6) https://www.heartland.org/publications-resources/publications/research--commentary-largest-vaping-survey-finds-flavors-play-important-role-in-tobacco-harm-reduction

(7) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/pc-party-proposed-banning-flavoured-vape-products-1.5306141

(8) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vape-juice-e-cigs-1.5095114