PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, Ontario – June 11, 2021 – Rights4Vapers, Canada’s leading vapers’ advocacy group is dismayed that Bill 17, which bans the sale of all flavoured vapour products in New Brunswick, has passed the third reading. 

“The Government of New Brunswick has just condemned smokers and vapers in the province to illness and death,” said Maria Panaioannoy, spokesperson for Rights4Vapers. “Without the availability of flavours, vapers will certainly go back to smoking and smokers will not be attracted to vaping as a reduced risk alternative. It is a sad day for all Canadians when legislators accept rhetoric and emotion over science and facts.” 

We have seen the same scenario in two jurisdictions. In Nova Scotia, which currently hold the title of the most prohibitive regulations in Canada, sales of tobacco increased for the first time in a decade after a flavours ban. Similarly in San Francisco, which invoked one of the first flavour bans in North America, is seeing an increase in teen smoking rates according to the Yale School of Public Health. 

“Clearly the lives of smokers and vapers are not important and not worth as much as other New Brunswickers,” said Ms. Papaioannoy. “We provided legislators with the facts they needed to make an informed decision, but we were not listened to because our views do not fit with their preconceptions of what is good public health policy. It’s time to wake up and accept that vaping is the best tool we have for reducing the harm and death caused by smoking.”

An estimated 48,000 Canadians die from smoking every year, according to the Canadian Lung Association. Last year no deaths from vaping were reported. 

-30-

About Rights4Vapers

Rights4Vapers is an organization of vaping advocates dedicated to the advancement of Canadian based research on vaping. Dr. Chris Lalonde is an academic advisor. Rights4Vapers is the voice of Canadian adult vapers, 98 percent of whom are former smokers. 

Media inquiries: media@rights4vapers.com