According to the vape Compliance and Enforcement Report released by Health Canada, 38 percent of specialty vape shops and 3.2 percent of gas stations and convenience stores were seized for violations between April 2023 and March 2024. The most common illegal practices include advertising illegal flavors and packaging without tobacco tar concentrations or health warnings.
Health Canada Updates Vape Compliance and Enforcement Report
On October 24, the official website of the Canadian government announced that the Ministry of Health issued the “vape Compliance and Enforcement Report” from April 2023 to March 2024.
Between April 2023 and March 2024. Health Canada inspectors conducted on-site inspections of retail outlets to verify industry compliance with the tobacco vape products Act (TVPA) and the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA).
Report shows 38% store breach rate
During the period, the Health Ministry inspected 288 specialty vape shops, of which 38 percent did not meet the requirements. Health Canada has seized illegal vape brands in 109 vape stores. The most common types of non-compliance include advertising illegal flavors, packaging that does not display tobacco tar concentration claims or health warnings, and packaging instructions for vapes with tar concentrations greater than 20mg/ml.
Health Canada also inspected gas stations and convenience stores on-site in 2015. Of the 1,609 stores selling vape brands, 3.2 percent had violations. Health Canada has seized substandard vape brands from 51 gas stations and convenience stores to address these issues. The most common types of violations were advertising illegal flavors and packaging that did not include tobacco tar concentration claims or health warnings.
In addition, 5.4 percent of the 2,004 gas stations and convenience stores selling cigarette products had problems with nonconformity. Health Canada has seized substandard cigarette products at 108 gas stations and convenience stores. The most common type of nonconformity is packaging that does not meet the requirements of the Plain and Standardized Appearance Regulations on Tobacco Products.
The department said the violations and related enforcement measures listed in the report were identified by Health Canada inspectors during inspections and were limited to on-site or inspected goods. These inspections may include only a few products and marketing activities found somewhere. The report provides information on inspection results for a specific time and does not select additional compliance activities that may occur after the inspection.
