Toronto city council has banned the use of e-cigarettes and regulate them under the same ban as real cigarettes.
Under the ban, city of Toronto workers can no longer use the electronic smoke in municipal work places.The City is also investigating disposal methods of e-cigarettes.
Toronto council voted in favour of the ban following a report from the Toronto Medical Officer of Health David McKeown
A typical e-cigarette consists of a battery, an atomizer that heats the liquid and turns it into a vapour, and a cartridge that contains flavouring and sometimes nicotine in a base of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin and water according to Algoma Public Health who issued a statement about a year ago on the sale and use of e-cigarettes.
Algoma Public Health believes that e-cigarettes should be subject to the same policies and laws as tobacco products: they should not be sold to minors; they should not be promoted in print publications or through in-store signs and displays; and they should not be used in public places and workplaces where smoking is banned.
“The public should know that Health Canada has not approved electronic cigarettes with nicotine as a smoking cessation or nicotine replacement product and presently advises Canadians not to purchase or use electronic smoking products, as they may pose a health risk and have not been fully evaluated.”
Currently there is no bylaw in Sault Ste. Marie concerning the use of e-cigarettes.
Toronto follows Red Deer, Alta., where the products were banned in June.
In December, New York City passed a bill banning e-cigarette use in restaurants, bars and clubs, and vaping is banned in public places in Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago.
