Vaping in Canada may cost more as of July 1. Here’s why – National | 24CA News
Vaping may price extra this summer season on account of a tax improve proposed by the federal authorities on this yr’s price range.
On July 1, the value of a vape pod will improve between 12 and 24 cents relying on the place Canadians dwell – anticipated to herald $310 million to the federal government over the subsequent 5 years.
Ottawa says the value hike will cut back excessive vaping charges amongst youthful Canadians, however public well being consultants say the tax misses the mark and will have unintended penalties.
Rob Cunningham, a senior coverage analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, says whereas he believes this tax will assist cut back the variety of Canadians who vape, it’s low-hanging fruit.
“A 12 per cent increase, that’s really close to inflation over the last few years. So it’s not really much of an increase at all,” Cunningham stated. “We could go much higher.”
Cunningham says the federal government is enjoying catch-up.
“It’s really frustrating, having had such difficult years step by step working to reduce smoking, that we’re having to learn those lessons and repeat those lessons all over again,” he stated.
While supportive of any measures to scale back Canadians smoking and vaping, Dr. Shawn Aaron, a respirologist in Ottawa, says he additionally thinks the federal government is dropping the ball.
“The federal government could go even stronger,” he stated. “Now, probably, the cat is out of the bag. It’ll be hard to undo this easy access to vaping products, but government really has to do something to make this a less easy activity for young people.”
One in 15 Canadians aged 15 to 19 vaped daily in 2022, in accordance with Statistics Canada. Young adults vaped greater than teenagers – with one in 10 Canadians aged 20 to 24 vaping daily that very same yr.
Although some consultants want the tax was increased, others have issues about whether or not it might push some Canadians to smoke.
Rahi Abouk, a professor at William Paterson University in Maine, N.J., co-authored a examine about e-cigarette taxes within the United States. The analysis discovered that each $1 improve in e-cigarette taxes ends in a few 12 per cent decline in e-cigarette use, however there’s a catch.
“We noticed that the use of conventional cigarettes goes up after states adopt electronic cigarette taxes,” Abouk stated.
In an effort to fight that unintentional consequence, the federal authorities additionally introduced a tobacco tax improve in Budget 2024 that went into impact in April – elevating the whole tax a further $5.49 per carton of 200 cigarettes. But Abigail Friedman, an affiliate professor of public well being at Yale University who co-authored that examine with Abouk, is worried the cigarette tax will not be sufficient.
“The increase on e-cigarettes is substantive,” Friedman stated. “But the concurrent increase on cigarettes is very small.”
The federal tax improve on a pack of 20 cigarettes works out to $3.72, whereas the vape tax equal totals $1.12 to $2.24 – making cigarettes in smaller portions the dearer choice. Only when shopping for in bulk – a carton of 200 cigarettes and the equal variety of vape pods – does the vaping tax grow to be dearer by about $5.
But retail worth variations could keep away from tipping the scales in favour of tobacco. An common pack of cigarettes ranges from about $14 to $19, whereas vapes will be bought for as little as $5 in Canada.
Cunningham stated he isn’t frightened about Canadians lighting up as a result of Canada has increased charges of tobacco taxes than the United States.
“We’re far from … where those two product categories are equal in terms of retail price,” he stated. “We do need to increase e-cigarette taxes. We do need to increase tobacco taxes. We can do both.”
That isn’t sufficient to calm the fears of Maria Papaioannoy, a member of the group Rights4Vapers, who consulted with Health Canada a few ban on vape liquid flavours.
“If this tax goes through and the flavour ban goes through, four billion cigarettes will be manufactured and put into market in the first year of a flavour ban,” Papaioannoy stated.
That 4 billion determine extrapolates from findings in Friedman and Abouk’s analysis, which discovered that for each 0.7-millilitre vape pod not offered on account of a flavour-restricting coverage within the United States, 12 further cigarettes have been offered.
The Vaping Industry Trade Association estimates that primarily based on Canadian vaping gross sales, that will quantity to 4 billion further cigarettes a yr if the flavour ban and tax are each applied.
But Marion Burt from Toronto, a member of Rights4Vapers, says she received’t stop even when the federal government takes away flavours and makes it dearer.
“I will not stop vaping because I value my health, even if the government doesn’t,” Burt stated. “I will find a black market or I will make my own vape juice, which will be unregulated … in my kitchen sink.”
Burt used to smoke cigarettes, however she stated the flavours in vapes helped her stop smoking. She ordered apple- and tobacco-flavoured vape merchandise on-line about 10 years in the past and hasn’t regarded again since.
“When it arrived, I opened the apple first and I knew from my first puff that I would never smoke again,” she stated. “I tried the tobacco a week or so later and you know what? I threw it out. It was so awful. So then I went to Rice Krispie Treats and berry cream and all sorts of flavours.… I love the variety.”
The Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey discovered Canadians aged 15 to 24 reported vaping with a fruit flavour most frequently and practically half of all adults aged 25 and older additionally reported utilizing a fruit flavour probably the most.
In June 2021, the federal authorities stated it could suggest rules to ban flavours from being added to e-cigarettes, aside from mint and menthol. However, in 2024, there’s nonetheless no federal flavour ban.
While vaping is marketed to be much less dangerous than cigarettes, Aaron says it carries critical well being issues.
“Vaping is associated with some awful diseases,” Aaron stated. “And people who start vaping are at risk for continuing to vape nicotine, but also at risk to start smoking cigarettes.”
Because it could take a number of many years to see signs of long-term issues, Aaron says it isn’t identified if vaping is safer than smoking. He’s hoping the federal government will act earlier than it’s too late to reverse course.
“As we discover the chronic, long-term bad health effects of vaping, there will be an urgency for the federal government to intervene even more.”
