Quebec’s flavored e-cigarette ban to take effect on October 31

The province of Quebec in Canada will soon ban the sale of e-cigarette products with flavors other than tobacco. The new provincial health regulations also prohibit the sale of bottled e-cigarette liquids exceeding 30 milliliters and pre-filled devices exceeding 2 milliliters.

This regulation was officially published in the provincial gazette on August 2 and will take effect 90 days after publication, on October 31.

The flavor ban and other provisions were first announced in a draft regulation released in April. According to a press release from the Quebec Coalition for E-Cigarette Rights, over 30,000 Quebec residents took the time to comment on the proposed flavor ban, but the health department made no changes to the regulations based on public requests.

After the flavor ban is officially implemented, most e-cigarette shops in Quebec will close. The Quebec E-Cigarette Shop Alliance expects that all 400 independent e-cigarette shops in the province will close at that time.

Quebec has a population of 8.5 million, making it the second most populous province in Canada and the largest province to enact a flavor ban. The other four provinces and territories—Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and the Northwest Territories—have also established flavor bans. Nunavut has passed a ban, but the implementation date has not yet been determined.

Additionally, three other provinces—British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan—will restrict flavored products to adult-only stores, such as e-cigarette shops.