CREDIT: MITCH VOLLMER
Ontario is working on new amendments towards the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 205, and the Smoke Free Ontario Strategy to better protect citizens from second-hand smoke.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy, which has helped to lower health risks to non-smokers, provide education to those wanting to quit and to encourage young people to never start.

Now in 2016, Ontario is proposing stronger laws to better protect citizens from second-hand smoke, whether it is from tobacco products or medical marijuana. There are also proposed amendments towards the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2015 in the works to regulate the use, sale, display and promotion of electronic vapor cigarettes.

Rowena Pinto, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives with Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division, stood strongly towards the new amendments.

“We support the government’s proposed changes to Ontario’s smoking and vaping legislation. E-cigarettes need to be regulated just like any other tobacco industry product including the restriction of sales to youth and the restriction in promoting and marketing the product. E-cigarettes have not been thoroughly tested and more research is required regarding the product’s long-term health effects. The preventive measures announced today are welcome in our fight against cancer,” Pinto said in a press release.

Smoking is undeniably the most addictive habit among people in the world, and yet well known for being so dangerous, a great majority of people will have still tried smoking by the time they’re 16. It’s a fact that children are more vulnerable to the harmful exposure of second- hand smoke. Studies show that areas with strong tobacco control regulations decrease the likelihood of young people becoming regular smokers, compared to areas where regulations are weaker. The biggest challenge is that it is not illegal for children under the age of 19 to smoke, only to purchase them.

The biggest goal of the Smoke- Free Ontario Act is to stop future generations from becoming addicted to cigarettes. Recent amendments to the Act include further protection for kids by banning the sale of flavoured tobacco products, and increasing the maximum fines for youth-related sales offences.

Although the health benefits of using e-cigarettes compared to tobacco has been shown to be safer, the one thing that doesn’t change between the two is the addictiveness of the nicotine. The withdrawal symptoms from e-cigarettes can include feelings of irritability, fatigue, anxiety and depression. The chemicals, which exist in an e-cigarette, are perhaps a fraction of that of a tobacco product, but the chemicals in them can vary and are still widely unknown whether to cause long-term effects.

Kyra Maynard, a graduate from Fanshawe’s Nursing program underlines a lack of information. “E-cigarettes might be less harmful than regular tobacco, but I still don’t believe they’re a suitable substitute since there is not enough information showing any less risks or effects from long-term use and secondhand exposure.”

To strengthen its smoking laws, Ontario has proposed amendments to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and its regulation, as well as to the regulation under the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2015, that if passed, would prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and the smoking and vaping of medical marijuana in all enclosed public places, enclosed workplaces and other specified outdoor areas.

Other amendments would be to widen “no-smoking rules” to apply to medical marijuana, expand the list of places where e-cigarettes are prohibited for sale, establish rules for the display and promotion of e-cigarettes in places where they are sold and prohibit the testing of e-cigarettes where they are sold.

Dipika Damerla, associate Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, released this statement of the resolution in the same press release.

“It is important to ensure that Ontarians are protected from second- hand smoke and from the potential dangers of e-cigarettes. That is why we are proposing these changes and we look forward to the upcoming consultations with our stakeholders.”

The government has taken a strong stance to protect the people of Ontario from second-hand smoke in enclosed public places and workplaces. Ontario is funding research to better understand the health impacts of e-cigarettes, including their potential as a smoking cessation aid. The province will continue to provide information on the dangers and risks of smoking and how it plans to reduce tobacco use.