Health Canada's Crackdown On Ecigarette Vendors May 21, 2014 09:28

Despite Health Canada's crackdown on shops selling electronic cigarettes,  some of them continue to sell these products on the sly.

Even as America's Food and Drug Administration is thinking in terms of enforcing laws under the tobacco control act for regulating e-cigarettes containing nicotine, Health Canada said that it is taking into account all options available for appropriately overseeing the sale of ecigarettes.

According to the Food and Drugs Act of Canada, import of ecigarettes, advertisement or sale is prohibited as this product has not been authorized by the market. During the last five year period, Health Canada has issued over 250 letters to various companies across the country to cease and desist from dealing with ecigarettes. Out of these letters, ninety four were issued in 2013 and included those sent to shops in British Columbia (32), Ontario (23), Quebec (21), Atlantic Canada (9) and the Prairies (9).

Leslie Meerburg, agency's spokesperson, said that most of the shops that have been trageted have not only complied with the orders, but also have ceased to sell products that contain nicotine.

However, some shops like Vapor Jedi in Saskatoon have very politely expressed their disagreement is complying with the demands of the federal government. The business of Mitch Tarala, owner of the Vapor Jedi store, is doing extremely well and he is planning to open his second shop in Regina. He displays the cease-and-desist letter issued to him at the front in his store, but responds quickly to his customers' questions and tells them why he does not want to break the law.

According to him, the products sold by him deliver only less than 4 milligrams of nicotine per dose when inhaled and, is therefore, is exempted from the purview of the Food and Drugs Act.

Tarala added that it is important to place appropriate labels and specify age restrictions are important and that he complies with those stipulations. However, he opined that regulation of these products through the tobacco act, as being contemplated in the United States of America, is inappropriate.

According to him, Health Canada should have its own regulations as they have for vapor products. He added that it is not right to club ecigarettes with tobacco products at all since ecigarette they are not tobacco products and the only similarities are their appearance and presence of nicotine.