Tobacco and Vaping Products Act

The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Loi sur le tabac et les produits de vapotage) is a Canadian law to regulate the production, marketing and sale of tobacco and vaping products. The law replaced the Tobacco Act, Bill C-71 during the 35th Canadian Parliament in 1997, which itself replaced the former Tobacco Sales To Young Persons Act of 1994 as well as the Tobacco Products Control Act of 1989. The Tobacco Act was amended on July 5, 2010 and renamed to Tobacco and Vaping Products Act in 2018 when similar laws concerning vaping products were added. The purpose of the Act is to protect the health of Canadians by imposing limits on the sale and production of tobacco products. It increases awareness of the health risks associated with use of tobacco products. The Act also protects young people by restricting the age of purchase. The legal age to purchase tobacco products varies with each province. A person may be asked for documentation to verify their age before purchasing a tobacco product. Under the Act, suitable forms of identification include a driver's license, passport, Canadian permanent resident document, certificate of Canadian citizenship with signature, or a Canadian Armed Forces identification card. Forms of identification issued by a provincial, federal, or foreign government with a signature, photo, and date of birth are also accepted. In addition, every retailer must place a sign near the tobacco products. The sign must adhere to the specifications outlined in the Tobacco Act. It must be in a visible location with a surface area no smaller than 600 cm2 with the following text: "It is prohibited by federal law to provide tobacco products to persons under 18 years of age. Il est interdit par la loi fédérale de fournir des produits du tabac aux personnes âgées de moins de 18 ans.” Tobacco products must have legible packaging with text in both of Canada's official languages, English and French. The package must contain health warnings and information on toxic emissions, either in the form of text or pictures and text.