Christopher ColemanData released by the government of Nova Scotia reveals the effect of banning flavors in vaping products, and it shows that it leads to an increase in smoking in the province.
This data is timely especially that Health Canada is trying to consider the same proposal of banning flavors in vape products.
So, it is important for Health Canada to acknowledge the effect of their proposal, which is pushing vapers back to smoking or preventing smokers from switching to vaping.
Nova Scotia shows that their cigarette consumption increased by 5.6 percent from the year 2020 to 2021 after they banned all flavoring products last April of 2020.
The increase and influx in the use of smoking and the decrease in sales in vaping products were compared to the data of Ontario, which does not implement any flavor bans.
It showed a continuous decline in cigarette consumption within the same time frame of increase in Nova Scotia.
Furthermore, just in August, a scientist published a journal regarding the comparative health risks of smoking and vaping. The paper shows that e-cigarette can significantly increase the chance of quitting cigarettes.
Hence, they encourage the government as well as the health organizations to weigh the potential of vaping in reducing the mortality related to smoking cigarettes.
The government should try to encourage smokers to switch to vaping instead of implementing regulations that will encourage them back to smoking.
