OUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR HEALTH CANADA

TORONTO, Jan. 10, 2022 /CNW/ - A new year means change and new ways of doing things. Rights4Vapers has compiled a list of five resolutions for Health Canada in 2022.

1.      Scrap the proposed ban on flavoured vapour products.
Flavours matter to vapers. Flavours help smokers migrate from traditional cigarettes to vapour products. Smokers and vapers do not want to be left with mint, menthol, and tobacco flavoured products. They will return to smoking or never try vaping to quit. This is poor public health policy. In 2019, Parliament conducted hearings on amendments to the Tobacco Act (Bill S5). Experts told the federal government that flavoured vapour products are important.

2.      Educate Canadians (smokers and non-smokers) on the relative risks of vaping versus smoking.
Vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking. Vaping is NOT more harmful than smoking. Vaping can help smokers quit.

3.      Ask vapers why they vape, what they vape, how they vape - listen to them.
The voices of Canadian vapers have been ignored. Over one million Canadians have chosen their health over cigarettes by switching to vaping. In 2021, over 23,000 Canadians sent submissions against the proposed flavour ban to Health Canada in 2021 and over 16,000 Canadians signed a petition against the ban. We are fighting for our lives.

4.      Keep vapour products accessible, available, and affordable.
Vapour products should be sold in speciality vape shops and where cigarettes are sold void of taxation. Vapour products are Health Canada's best hope of achieving its objective of a five percent smoking rate by 2025. Keep these products accessible and affordable.

5.      Protect the health of all Canadians, including smokers and vapers.
Tobacco control has historically been about shaming smokers into quitting. Smokers have two choices: quit or die. There is a third: vape. Harm reduction should be about reducing the harm for all, not giving up on a segment of the populations. Smokers should be encouraged to vape. We should applaud their choice. Vapers should have access to their products with limited regulations.

An estimated 48,000 Canadians die from smoking every year, according to the Canadian Lung Association. Last year no deaths from vaping were reported.

Rights4Vapers is an organization of vaping advocates dedicated to the advancement of Canadian based research on vaping. Dr. Chris Lalonde is an academic advisor. Rights4Vapers is the voice of Canadian adult vapers, 98 percent of whom are former smokers.

SOURCE Rights 4 Vapers