Quebec: Court Upholds Vape Ad Ban

A panel of three Court of Appeals judges unanimously reversed the parts of a 2019 Quebec Superior Court decision that struck down some provisions of the Tobacco Control Act pertaining to vaping products, reports Global News.

The Quebec Superior Court had ruled that some of the province’s restrictions on vaping products, such as banning advertising, went too far because they could possibly prevent smokers from switching to noncombustible products.

The appeals court judges cited research from the World Health Organization and other experts regarding the rise in youth vaping rates, ruling that the Quebec government has the right to limit potential effects of advertising on youth and nonsmokers.

“In this case, it was therefore reasonable for the legislator to intervene to limit the potential effect of electronic cigarette advertising, especially on young people,” Justice Benoit Moore wrote on behalf of the panel. “The risks associated with the fact that the vaping industry is evolving and that it is gradually being taken over by the tobacco companies cannot be excluded from the analysis of the legislator.”

The court also upheld the right to ban vaping product demonstrations inside shops or specialized clinics.