Student group wants to ban vapes with gusto; companies say they are being targeted

A student advocacy group to prevent youth nicotine addiction says it wants the Alberta and federal governments to ban all sweet and fruity vape juices.

“Flavors like menthol or fruity flavors can also entice young people to want to smoke or start these addictions because they are more accessible,” said Lisa Wei, a member of Stop Addict Adolescents to Vaping and E-Cigarettes (SAAVE) .

“It’s troubling that Alberta hasn’t yet taken action to ban all of these additional flavors.”

Wei says the group wants governments to ban all flavors except tobacco, ban single-use vapes, and take vapes off the shelves and put them behind pharmacy counters.

The University of Calgary student group also surveyed all MLAs in the province between September 23 and October 7, and the group contacted each one three times.

Forty percent did not respond, but two UCP MPs agreed that vapes should be sold behind a pharmacy counter.

Overall, 92 percent of those who responded either did not favor any of the proposals or did not take a position.

“We have learned many lessons about communication barriers, but I think it is important to maintain this optimism to move forward in the future to create more opportunities,” Wei said.

“Disposable vaping devices have been shown to be able to attract more young people.”

The federal addictions minister’s office told CTV News on Monday that it expects new legislation to arrive “within a month,” but added that there are still several issues to be resolved.

However, any ban would affect local businesses, including vape shops like Bobilicious Vapes in Silverado.

Gregory Langston and Nancy Yip say the flavored vapor ban will cause significant harm to thousands of small business owners across the country.

“I think you would probably see a lot of the small business part of the industry start to disappear,” Langston said.

“They certainly feel targeted when considering all the different vices that are available to the everyday public.”

Langston says vaping has helped smokers make healthier lifestyle choices.

“Helping smokers quit cigarettes really makes you question a lot of things,” Langston said.

“And why so much effort is being put into this particular industry.”

Yip says vaping behind pharmacy counters and restricting flavors will likely force users into an illegal market.

“We personally guaranteed our house on this,” he said.

“So I’m sure a lot of other stores have too. We’re all probably scrambling if it’s only a month. That’s not a lot of time to prepare.”

Alberta’s health ministry says its Tobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act (TSVRA) initially consulted Albertans on the policy.

“We heard from former smokers that the availability of flavored vaping products helped them quit smoking. However, we also learned that these flavors can attract young people to use vaping products,” spokeswoman Jessi Rampton said.

The province says it took a balanced approach, but it’s unclear when the federal government’s plan to ban fruity and sweet flavors will take effect.