Despite various attempts at regulation and restriction in the past, the industry of electronic cigarettes continues to grow rapidly within Ontario. Acknowledging the high rate of provincial concern caused by the industry’s progression, Vaping Regulation Ontario is taking action to stunt its growth.

On Aug. 1, Vaping Regulation Ontario launched a campaign in an effort to extend the current governance of e-cigarette distribution. The campaign is calling for the provincial government to introduce rules prohibiting the promotion of e-cigarettes as well as product sampling within stores.

E-cigarettes or vape pens are battery-powered devices that provide an alternative nicotine delivery system by converting "e-liquids" into a vapour that the user inhales. These juices contain ranging amounts of nicotine mixed with propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin and are often argued as a healthy alternative to chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes.

While the campaign launch may hold respectable intentions, employees of vape stores throughout Kingston are concerned by the repercussions it may have, if successful.

The owner of Vapour Amour, Martine Boudreau, believes people are often uninformed of the health benefits of vaping, which is scorned by many as a glorified reproduction of conventional cigarettes.

"I find that the vape industry is very taboo and I think it comes from a lack of education about why it’s a good thing," Boudreau said. "I actually opened up the business because I smoked for 23 years and vaping was the only way I was able to quit. I knew it could help others in the same way.

"I completely think it’s a negative thing to have these regulations and campaigns. E-cigarettes should be a positive thing."

Echoing concerns over the campaign launch, Katie Lattan, head manager of La Vape Shop, agreed the vape industry doesn’t get enough credit for its existing benefits.

"A lot of quitters have a really difficult time, whether it’s because they’re quitting cold turkey or maybe they don’t have the best support, and vaping gives them the opportunity to sort of wean off the habit in a much more gradual, healthy way," Lattan explained. "A lot of it is they rely on that nicotine but they want to stay away from the hundreds of harmful chemicals that can be found in an ordinary cigarette, and this is a way to do that. People need to know about it."

Besides this lack of education, Boudreau also argued that people may too closely associate the act of vaping with conventional smoking.

According to a news release, the campaign intends to "caution the premier and the minister of Health and Long-Term Care about the risks of allowing the development of e-cigarette regulations that are inconsistent with the spirit of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act."

"But vaping isn’t smoke, it’s vapour," Boudreau said. "People always think of them as the same thing, but they’re different and they should be treated and regulated differently."

Lattan further disclosed her concern that by holding cigarettes and e-cigarettes to the same standards, people may assume the two to be equally harmful and revert back to or sustain their tobacco smoking habits.

Mainly affected by the regulation of vaping promotion, Kingston vape stores may also suffer from the campaign’s attempt to ban product sampling. Offering this opportunity at her store, Lattan disclosed the prohibition of these "taste testers" would unfairly disadvantage her customers.

"That would be so disappointing," Lattan said. "If people are spending money on liquids and aren’t even given that opportunity for sampling beforehand, they’re kind of expected to take a chance and potentially waste their money."

The regulation would also possibly add to the typical, albeit unjustified, hesitance and intimidation many people experience in purchasing e-cigarettes, Boudreau said.

Regardless of the concerns, the campaign was launched Tuesday and continues to encourage worried parents, retailers and citizens to sign the petition and send a letter of concern to the minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Eric Hoskins.

"I understand both sides of the situation, but [the government] is trying to convince the public that vaping and smoking are one and the same when they aren’t," Boudreau said. "I mean, from a business perspective, are they allowed to just destroy the industry because they don’t like it?"