E-cig gagging order mooted

As part of its anti-vaping legislation, Canada’s federal government is attempting to limit public access to scientific data, according to Derek James From writing a guest column on torontosun.com.

Bill S-5, which was introduced in November 2016, would prohibit manufacturers or purveyors of electronic cigarettes from sharing scientific information comparing the health effects of smoking traditional combustible tobacco cigarettes with vaping.

This ban is said to be so broad that merely making Canadians visiting a vape shop aware of a peer-reviewed scientific journal article could result in a fine of up to $500,000 and a two year prison term.

From, who is a lawyer with the Canadian Constitution Foundation in Calgary, said the restriction would almost certainly attract constitutional scrutiny as a violation of the right to freedom of expression.

He said that, in 2015, Public Health England, an agency of the UK Department of Health, had issued a press release announcing the results of an independent expert review that found that vaping electronic cigarettes was 95 percent less harmful than was smoking traditional cigarettes.

‘They also found no evidence that vaping is a “gateway” to smoking,’ From wrote. ‘Finally, they warned that nearly half of the population was not aware of the health benefits of switching from smoking to vaping.

‘Yet, once Bill S-5 becomes law, anyone selling e-cigarettes in Canada would be breaking the law if they even provided this U.K. Department of Health report and its life-saving information to customers.’