New rules clear up fog surrounding e-cigs

RECORD PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH

Selkirk Fat Panda Vape Shop manager Phil Bouchard smokes from an electronic vaporizer daily.   

By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

The manager of a local vape shop is welcoming proposed provincial legislation on e-cigarettes that would see minors banned from buying the products, but Phil Bouchard fears tougher unfair rules could come next.

The province introduced legislation last Monday that would prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, ban their use in most public places, and place restrictions on advertising.

If the legislation were passed, e-cigarettes would be treated under the same rules as regular tobacco products.

Bouchard said it’s good the foggy area surrounding the devices is finally being cleared up, but his store the Fat Panda Vape Shop, already doesn’t sell or advertise to minors.

 “That’s all stuff that we’ve implemented from day one,” Bouchard said.

The Manitoba Lung Association said the short and long-term health risks of e-cigarette use are still unknown.

Its executive director Margaret Bernhardt-Lowdon, said regulating the sale of the devices is “simply prudent”.

"As an organization focused on improving lung health, we don't want to repeat past health policy mistakes through inaction,” Bernhardt-Lowdon said.

The proposed legislation would ban the devices from public places where smoking is already prohibited like schools, hospitals, malls, indoor workplaces, and restaurants.

People would still be able to test out the products at vape shops under the legislation, but if that changed Bouchard said "that would be a step too far."

Bouchard said his company’s biggest concern is that the products could be banned from public view and have to be sold from behind a closed curtain like tobacco.   

He said newcomers who have never vaped before would be lost and wouldn’t know what to buy.

He noted many smokers come to Fat Panda wanting to quit, but need help finding devices and the proper product.

Healthy Living and Seniors Minister Deanne Crothers, said there are many unanswered questions surrounding the safety of e-cigarettes.

"Our goal is to find a balance that minimizes possible health risks to children and other bystanders, while acknowledging that some individuals use these products to help them quit smoking,” Crothers said.

The new rules are expected to be in place by the fall.

 

 -- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition June 11 2015 p.7