Health Canada bans advertising for vaping products around youth

The Canadian government announced new regulations this week to prevent vaping products from being advertised in ways that are seen or heard by young people.

It will now be prohibited to advertise vaping products in public spaces if they can be seen or heard by youth, “whether in brick and mortar stores, online or other media channels.”

Health Minister Patty Hajdu made the announcement on Thursday following consultations on proposed changes.

“We have been working with experts and all Canadians over the last months, with the goal of better protecting a new generation of young Canadians from the harms of vaping products,” Hajdu said.

“The changes announced today will address problematic advertising while we will continue to explore additional measures to reduce vaping.”

Displaying vape products at points of sale where youth have access will also be prohibited.

Changes also require permitted ads to convey a health warning about the harms of vaping products, even if youth are not permitted where the ad is being displayed.

The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act already prohibits several types of vaping product promotions.

The new changes are to help address advertisements that have been observed on television, on social media, at events, on outdoor signs, and at points of sale.

There are considerations also being made by Health Canada to create additional regulatory measures that would further restrict the nicotine content of vaping products.

The additional measures under consideration would also further restrict flavours in vaping products and require the vaping industry to provide information about their vaping products.