Ottawa (AFP)
The Canadian government announced on Thursday measures to ban advertising of vaping products "wherever it can be seen or heard by young people".
"The rapid increase in vaping among young people is of concern to the government," the health ministry said in a statement.
The proposed regulations aim to prohibit the advertising of vaping products, particularly in public places or online. Conversely, the promotion of these products would only be "permitted in specialized shops, businesses and websites to which only adults have access".
Health Minister Patty Hajdu also announced "the mandatory printing of health warnings on the packaging of vaping products".
These new measures should come into force in the coming months, according to the ministry.
The announcement of the Canadian ministry's proposal comes as the US Congress passed a law Thursday raising next year from 18 to 21 the minimum age to buy tobacco and electronic cigarettes nationwide.
In Canada, a 17-year-old teenager nearly lost his lungs earlier this year after five months of heavy vaping, and the suspected ingredient was diacetyl. It differed from that identified in the United States, a vitamin E oil, added in liquid refills of vaping machines, at the origin of a dazzling lung disease which has already caused 2,409 patients and 52 deaths to date.
Electronic cigarettes have been sold in Canada and the United States since 2006. Although their sale is prohibited to minors, their use has exploded in recent years among Canadian adolescents.
As of December 17, 14 cases of lung disease associated with vaping have been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
One in five students have used an electronic cigarette in the past 30 days, a figure up 10% from 2016-2017, according to a study by the Ministry of Health.
© 2019 AFP