The province recently became the first in the country to apply a specific tax to “deter harmful behaviour” related to vaping products

The province of British Columbia has issued an update to specify how its planned 20 percent sales tax on vaporizers and related products will be applied, and it looks like dry herb vaporizers have received a reprieve.

Per the change, which takes effect January 2020, dry herb vaporizers will not be subject to the additional provincial sales tax increase, although their liquid vape cousins will be.

Last month, the province became the first in the country to apply a specific tax to “deter harmful behaviour” related to vaping products like e-cigarettes and liquid cannabis vapes.

Although the province initially included “dry herb vaporizers” as products that would fall under the higher tax umbrella, the update notice specifies that “dry herb vaporizers — e.g., vaporizers used with dry cannabis — will remain subject to 7% [tax].”

There are two kinds of vaporizers on the market: dry herb and liquid-filled. The former is filled with dried cannabis flower; the latter is filled with cartridges of oil or extract.

The fear generated by the “vape scare” this year, which saw thousands of people in the U.S., and just over a dozen in Canada, hospitalized with pulmonary illnesses relates to liquid-filled vapes with toxic additives or contaminants.

The cause of the illness is widely believed to be additive ingredient vitamin E acetate, which is banned in Canadian vape products.

Critics of the B.C. tax, which amounts to nearly triple the tax on other cannabis products, seem to believe the hike will do little to keep Canadians safe. The move may, in fact, drive more cannabis consumers to purchase unregulated and untested products from the illicit market, they say.

Along with edibles, topicals, extracts and other second-wave cannabis products, liquid vapes could be available on store shelves in B.C. as early as later this month.

Some provinces, such as a Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, have outright banned the sale of cannabis vape products.

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