Témoignages

Why does the media keep missing the real story here? And why does the industry keep “applauding” the government? Government is not your friend – especially Health Canada (I used to work in their tobacco control program). The “youth vaping epidemic” did not exist in Canada prior to 2018. It was then that Health Canada decided to allow legal entry of not only nicotine but of extremely high concentrations of nicotine in vaping products into Canada (65mg/mL or 6%) – coinciding with the entry of JUUL (59 mg/mL or 5%). Prior to this time and interesting coincidence, Canadian smokers trying to quit were more than satisfied with the domestic products which contained between 0% and 1.6% nicotine (well below the 20mg/mL they are now proposing as a cap). If kids in Canada are now hooked on nicotine, through vaping, it is entirely Health Canada’s doing – and provincial governments, parents and the kids themselves should considered legal action against the federal government for the harm caused. What Health Canada did back in June of 2018 was intentional and they were fully aware of what these high concentration nicotine products would do to Canadian kids – as the U.S. experience with these products and kids was already quite well known. Now Health Canada wants people to forget their culpability in all of this while promoting itself as the saviors of the kids they addicted and victimized. If the flavours in these products are, according to Health Canada, what clearly draws kids to vaping products and that the nicotine is what addicts them – then why not simply keep allowing all of these flavours but only in 0% nicotine vaping products? Use the same flavours to incentivize these kids away from the nicotine. But such a government strategy would miss the necessary political mark as targeting “flavours” is largely meant to shift the blame away from nicotine – and especially the high concentrations of nicotine that Health Canada mysteriously chose to legally allow in this country back in 2018 (and which is what caused the youth epidemic in the first place). Just thought I would share my reaction to all of these recent media stories on what Health Canada is doing. I sincerely wish you well in your efforts to protect your individual rights and freedoms.