The Provincial Government will host a virtual public consultation session on legislative amendments under consideration related to the purchase of tobacco and related products on Thursday, August 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
The session is in addition to an online questionnaire which provided an opportunity for input earlier this summer. Topics to be discussed at the upcoming session include:
- Prohibiting the sale of tobacco to persons born after a certain date.
- Increasing the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21.
- Banning flavoured vaping products.
- Other enforcement measures, including prohibiting sales of tobacco through vending machines.
The peak age of smoking initiation is between 15 and 17 and the likelihood of smoking initiation decreases quickly after age 16. Tobacco remains one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s leading cause of disease, disability and death and remains a burden on the health care system. The Department of Health and Community Services anticipates that making commercial and vaping products less accessible will further reduce the number of people who use the products.
More information on the amendments to tobacco and vaping-related statutes is available at EngageNL.
Individuals interested in attending the virtual session can register by emailing TobaccoEngagement@gov.nl.ca with their name and e-mail address. Registration is required to attend and will close on Wednesday, August 21. The virtual session is limited to 40 people.
An additional session may be scheduled depending on the level of interest.
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Amendments to Tobacco and Vaping-related Statutes | EngageNL
Public Consultations Beginning on Legislative Amendments on Tobacco and Other Related Products
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