New Brunswick store owner takes stand on legality of e-cigarette sales

A store owner who sells e-cigarettes is fighting an order from Health Canada to stop, according to a CBC News story.

Ryanne Pineda, whose business at Fredericton, New Brunswick, also produces e-liquids, says he has a growing clientele of more than 2,000 local and online customers for vaping kits, which are sold for between $25 and $200.

Health Canada, which has not approved e-cigarettes for sale, has ordered Pineda to stop such sales, but the store owner is standing firm.

“We actually refuted back, saying that the law states that under Schedule F of the Food and Drugs Act, nicotine is directly exempt with a dose of under four milligrams, from being classified as a new drug or a drug delivery system,” said Pineda, who has not received a reply from Health Canada.

Pineda was quoted as saying that his business imported e-cigarettes under the appropriate regulations, knew what was going into these products and applied quality control.

“We also have the ability to test each part of the product through an independent lab called Enthalpy Analytical Inc.,” he said. “They’re actually Health Canada-accredited; that’s why we use them.”