2018-05-16 from cbc.ca

he Liberal government has passed a sweeping overhaul of the country's tobacco laws — legislation that will formally legalize (and heavily regulate) vaping and give Health Canada the powers it needs to mandate plain packaging for cigarettes.

The bill, S-5, is one of the most ambitious overhauls of the Tobacco Act in a generation. It enacts changes that have prompted vocal opposition from the country's largest tobacco companies — and their allies, like convenience store owners — who are steadfastly opposed to measures that will force them to remove their brands from cigarette and other tobacco packages.

The bill doesn't dictate exactly how plain packaging should be imposed, but a Health Canada backgrounder says the new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act will "provide ... a range of options such as standardized colour, font and finish, and prohibitions on promotional information and brand elements, such as logos."

A spokesperson for Health Canada did not say exactly when the new regulations would land, but added such regulations typically come into force 180 days after they are finalized by the department.

The bill's defenders have said these new regulations will make smoking less appealing by all but eliminating the uniqueness of particular brands, and help end an "epidemic" of tobacco-related deaths — which the government suggests number over 45,000 per year.

Under existing regulations, branding is already quite limited because health warnings cover roughly three quarters of a traditional cigarette pack.

What the bill does:

Gives Health Canada the power to implement plain and standardized tobacco packaging.

Applies many of the existing tobacco regulations to vaping products.

Prohibits the sale of vaping products to minors.

Restricts "lifestyle" advertising for vaping products, the use of testimonials, or any reference to e-cigarettes as healthier than standard tobacco products.

Bans certain flavours — like "confectionery" and cannabis — for vaping products.

Critics argue the new rules will simply bolster an already flourishing market for cheaper contraband cigarettes, and often cite the mixed (and contested) results of Australia's move to enact plain packaging.

"The real reason that people start smoking is not because of the pack. There is no evidence of that in every piece of research that Health Canada has cited," Eric Gagnon, the director of government relations at Imperial Tobacco Canada, said in an interview with CBC News.

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