Thursday 20 August 2020

Prince Edward Island bans flavoured e-cigarettes - effective March 1, 2021.

Prince Edward Island becomes the second Canadian province to formalize a comprehensive ban on flavoured vaping products. The ban will come into effect at the beginning of next March, after which only tobacco-flavoured e-cigarettes will be legal for sale.

The decision is reflected in the Orders in Council EC2020-489 signed on August 11, 2020:

1. Section 1.1 of the Tobacco and Electronic Smoking Device Sales and Access Act Regulations (EC538/15) is revoked and the following substituted: 1.1 For the purpose of section 3.1 of the Act, an agent added to tobacco or an electronic smoking device to produce an aroma or taste other than the aroma or taste of tobacco, including the aroma or taste of candy, chocolate, fruit, a spice, an herb, an alcoholic beverage, vanilla or menthol, is a prescribed flavouring agent. 

2. These regulations come into force on March 1, 2020.

Prince Edward Island has pioneered important tobacco control reforms over the past months. In March it implemented Canada's first "AGE 21" laws for vaping and tobacco and also moved vaping products out of general retailers. Since March these products can only be sold in specialty shops.

Only one other province (Nova Scotia) has banned flavourd e-cigarettes todate. Two others (British Columbia and Ontario) have restricted sales of most flavoured products to specialty shops. 

The federal government notified the World Trade Organization of PEI's intention last April, but has made no further disclosures for federal or other provincial measures.

Updated fact sheets: