The spice ban on e-cigarette products in Quebec, Canada came into effect today (October 31st), and e-cigarette enthusiasts are concerned that they may have to reuse combustible cigarettes.


Quebec's ban includes e-cigarette products with flavors other than tobacco, and will prohibit the sale of e-cigarette liquids in bottles with a capacity greater than 30 milliliters and pre packaged devices with a capacity greater than 2 milliliters.


The spice ban was announced in a draft released in April. According to the Quebec Electronic Cigarette Rights Alliance, over 30.000 Quebec citizens have commented on the proposed ban, but it is reported that the Ministry of Health has not made any changes to the rules in response.


Quebec is the largest province in Canada to issue a spice ban. Four other provinces and regions have also issued spice bans, and one of them has already passed a ban, but no effective date has been determined yet. The other three provinces have restricted seasoning products to adult only stores.


The Canadian Electronic Cigarette Association (CVA) has expressed concerns to the Quebec government that this regulation will not achieve the expected goal of curbing adolescent attempts.


According to CVA, the consequences will include the closure of e-cigarette specialty stores in the province, the loss of over 1000 jobs, and a shift in consumer demand towards foreign suppliers and illegal markets.


Provinces such as Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island should now reassess their positions and stop succumbing to the influence of large tobacco companies. These regions must recognize that they unintentionally supported the problems they claimed to be solving, "said Darryl Tempest, CVA government relations advisor.


Existing data consistently shows that the spice ban has failed to effectively protect young people and has led to an increase in tobacco sales for both young people and adults.