Canadian Vaping Association Says Flavour Bans Are a Gift to the Illicit Market

Ottawa, ON, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When a legal product is banned, organized crime is waiting to supply it. Just ask Quebec, The Netherlands, Australia and Mexico, countries that all have thriving illicit vaping markets because flavour options were taken away from adult vapers. 

Health Canada’s 2026 progress report, Delivering Results: Advancing Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, shows youth vaping has fallen from 13.2% in 2019 to 5.8% in 2024, surpassing its target of below 10% by 2025. Youth smoking has also reached a record low of 1.5%, down from 2.1% in 2019.  

This decline reflects the effectiveness of Canada’s existing framework under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, which is among the strongest in the world for youth protection. The continued decline in youth smoking also challenges the idea that vaping is a gateway to youth smoking.

"The CVA questions why tobacco control organizations continue to view prohibition as the only solution when youth vaping, rates have decreased nearly 60% in 5 years," says Sam Tam, President of the Canadian Vaping Association, “Health Canada has already implemented measures that have real results. Rather than pushing for more bans, shouldn't we be evaluating what's working and building on those successes?

The CVA urges policymakers to build on Health Canada’s success through targeted prevention, education and quit support. This also means strengthening enforcement, including retailer licensing, meaningful penalties for selling to minors, mandatory age verification for online sales, and action against illicit sales. 

Research suggests flavour restrictions shift demand rather than eliminate it. A 2026 analysis by Dr. Ian Irvine estimates the illicit market accounts for roughly 30% of Canada’s vaping market, with cross-border purchasing concentrated in provinces with the strictest rules, including Quebec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The experience with flavoured tobacco also demonstrates how bans can fuel contraband markets. Unlike legal, regulated products, illicit vapes bypass age verification, product standards and excise taxes.

For the nearly 2 million Canadian adults who vape, flavours play an important role in staying smoke-free. A national study found one in five Canadian adults who tried to quit used a vaping product in their latest attempt. Fruit flavours were the most used, and 68% relied on flavours that the proposed restrictions would eliminate.  

Prime Minister Carney understands better than most; markets respond to policy, and that demand doesn’t disappear when a product is banned. It moves underground. As the country strives to build Canada Strong, we need to fight for the legal market. The Canadian vaping industry is a $2B economic force and the fifth largest vaping market in the world. Behind those numbers are thousands of family-owned businesses, tens of thousands of jobs and Canadian entrepreneurs who built a legal, regulated industry because they finally found a way to stop smoking. 

We encourage, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health to look at Health Canada and the multiple consultations conducted over the past five years to fully understand why flavour bans don’t work. 

At a time when Canada is working to strengthen its economy and support small business, a policy that shuts down legal retailers, cuts jobs and drains tax revenue is the wrong decision. 

The CVA represents licensed retail, distributing and manufacturing businesses employing tens of thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Behind every licensed vape shop is a local business that checks ID. Behind every illicit seller is organized crime. Canada doesn’t need prohibition; the progress is real. The tools are already there, and it is time to use them. 

About the Canadian Vaping Association  
The Canadian Vaping Association is a national, not-for-profit organization representing the legal, compliant vaping industry in Canada. The CVA advocates for reasonable and effective regulation of the vaping sector, recognizing vaping's role in harm reduction for adult smokers, with youth protection through education and prevention as a key pillar of its mandate. For up-to-date information on the Canadian vaping industry and the latest on tobacco harm reduction, follow the CVA on X at @thecvaofficial 

Sam Tam
The Canadian Vaping Association 
6472717629
stam@thecva.org