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On June 7, according to foreign reports, the electronic cigarette Association of Canada said that Canada has set an ambitious goal to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5% by 2035. However, Canada now seems unlikely to achieve this goal. Some people call the program incremental, unstable and passive tobacco control.

It is clear that traditional tobacco control measures have led to a modest decline, which is not enough to achieve this goal.

Tobacco harm reduction (THR) products have shown considerable effectiveness in reducing smoking rates.

“For decades, we have known the risk of smoking. We have known that it is smoke, not nicotine. We also know that we can provide nicotine in a way that minimizes the risk.” Professor David sveno, chairman of the center for health law, policy and ethics at the University of Ottawa and adjunct professor of law, said.

“As a result, Sweden has the lowest tobacco related diseases and mortality rate in the European Union so far. Their smoking rate is now low enough that many people would call it a smoke-free society. When Norway allowed the wider use of snuff products, the amount of smoking fell by half in just 10 years. When Iceland allowed electronic cigarette products and snuff to enter the market, smoking fell by about 40% in just three years.” He said.

The tobacco and electronic cigarette products act (tvpa) is intended to protect young people and non-smokers from the temptation of tobacco and electronic cigarette products and to ensure that Canadians correctly understand the risks involved. The 2018 amendment “… Attempts to regulate e-cigarette products in a way that emphasizes that these products are harmful to teenagers and non-tobacco users. At the same time, it recognizes emerging evidence that although e-cigarette products are not harmless, e-cigarette products are a less harmful source of nicotine for smokers and people who completely quit smoking.”

Although tvpa has established a strong framework to protect adolescents and non-smokers, in addition to recognizing that e-cigarettes reduce risk, the act also prevents smokers from receiving accurate information about e-cigarettes.

In recent years, the regulation has been passive, which runs counter to the practice of Health Canada admitting that e-cigarettes reduce risks. More and more strict regulation has played a considerable role in strengthening public misunderstanding of e-cigarettes. Every year, 48000 Canadians still die from smoking related diseases, while the health authorities convey mixed messages to smokers and continue the myth of e-cigarette smoking.

“If there is no realized plan adopting modern methods, Canada is unlikely to achieve its goals. The health of Canadians is best served through the implementation of thr strategy, as evidenced by the impact of e-cigarettes on smoking rates.”

Before the mainstream adoption of nicotine e-cigarettes, the results of traditional tobacco control policies have been relatively stagnant for many years. Darryl tempest, government relations consultant of CVA Committee, said that cigarette sales decreased slowly from 2011 to 2018, and then decreased rapidly in 2019, which is the peak period of e-cigarette adoption.

New Zealand faces similar challenges in eradicating tobacco use, including an increase in Aboriginal smoking rates. New Zealand has sent a clear message to smokers that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking and that flavored e-cigarettes are allowed. The multifaceted and modern approach to reducing tobacco use has enabled New Zealand to continue to achieve the goal of becoming smoke-free by 2025.

Canada must stop the reactionary amendment to tvpa and adopt modern solutions to enable Canada to achieve a smoke-free society by 2035.