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E-cigarettes
Snus
Pouches
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Data sourced: 2020.   Page updated: 2025-01-02

The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) became law on May 23rd 2018, and came into force in November 2018, providing a legal framework for governing vaping products. Adults can legally acquire vaping products containing nicotine as a less harmful option than smoking. Vaping products which do not make health claims are covered by the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, which regulates ingredients, labelling and packaging etc. Unfortunately, not making 'health claims' means manufacturers are not able to inform customers about the lower risk levels of vaping compared to smoking. E-cigarettes can, technically, be classified as a medicinal product under the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) if health claims are made, but to date no e-cigarettes have been granted FDA approval. States also have their own legislations, which vary, and which cover restrictions on sales to minors, where you can vape, and promotional restrictions. In January 2019, the Canadian government published health education messages about the comparative relative risks of vaping.

Prevalence

Year Value Reference/Comment
2013 597.4 thousand 1A A
2020 1.3 million 1B B
References:
  1. 1. Reid J L. Rynard V L. Czoli C D. Hammond D.(2015). Who is using e-cigarette in Canada? Nationally representative data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Canadians. Preventative medicine. 81. 180-183. 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey cited in Czoli, C. D., Guertin, C., Dubois, D., Farrell, N., Luongo, G., Williams, G., & Mischki, T. (2024). Characteristics of Canadians who use vaping products, by smoking status: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2020. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 44(11–12), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.44.11/12.02
Comments:
  1. The report by Reid et al. examined prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use in the Canadian population, using data from the nationally representative 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (n = 14,565). Sociodemographic correlates of e-cigarette use (ever, and in the past 30 days) were examined using logistic regression models. Data is from people aged 15 and over. World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. In 2020, 2.0% (605 000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported vaping and current smoking (dual use), 1.2% (372 000) reported vaping and former smoking and 1.1% (352 000) reported vaping and never/nonsmoking.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2013 2% 1A A
2020 4.3% 1B B
References:
  1. Reid J L. Rynard V L. Czoli C D. Hammond D.(2015). Who is using e-cigarette in Canada? Nationally representative data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Canadians. Preventative medicine. 81. 180-183.
  2. 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey cited in Czoli, C. D., Guertin, C., Dubois, D., Farrell, N., Luongo, G., Williams, G., & Mischki, T. (2024). Characteristics of Canadians who use vaping products, by smoking status: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2020. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 44(11–12), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.44.11/12.02
Comments:
  1. The report by Reid et al. examined prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use in the Canadian population, using data from the nationally representative 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (n = 14,565). Sociodemographic correlates of e-cigarette use (ever, and in the past 30 days) were examined using logistic regression models. Data is from people aged 15 and over.
  2. In 2020, 2.0% (605 000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported vaping and current smoking (dual use), 1.2% (372 000) reported vaping and former smoking and 1.1% (352 000) reported vaping and never/nonsmoking.
9%
2 B
2013
References:
  1. 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey cited in Czoli, C. D., Guertin, C., Dubois, D., Farrell, N., Luongo, G., Williams, G., & Mischki, T. (2024). Characteristics of Canadians who use vaping products, by smoking status: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2020. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 44(11–12), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.44.11/12.02
  2. Reid J L. Rynard V L. Czoli C D. Hammond D.(2015). Who is using e-cigarette in Canada? Nationally representative data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Canadians. Preventative medicine. 81. 180-183.
Comments:
  1. In 2020, 2.0% (605 000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported vaping and current smoking (dual use), 1.2% (372 000) reported vaping and former smoking and 1.1% (352 000) reported vaping and never/nonsmoking.
  2. *The report by Reid et al. examined prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use in the Canadian population, using data from the nationally representative 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (n = 14,565). Sociodemographic correlates of e-cigarette use (ever, and in the past 30 days) were examined using logistic regression models. Data is from people aged 15 and over.

Regulation

References:
  1. Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/

Availability

Regulations and restrictions

The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team. However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice. We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product categories can change at short notice and with little publicity. If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region, you should verify the information independently. If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details and any references and we will rectify any errors.