B.C. to ban e-cigarette sales to youth, restrict indoor use

VICTORIA — B.C.’s health minister is regulating electronic cigarettes with new legislation that will ban sales to young people and prohibit their use in indoor public spaces and workplaces.

Health Minister Terry Lake says the legislation will also ban e-cigarette smoking on school grounds and at health authority properties.

Lake says the legislation is designed to limit children’s exposure to e-cigarette vapour and prevent e-cigarettes from making smoking appear normal.

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that do not contain tobacco but can be used to heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating a vapour that users inhale.

Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba have laws and regulations restricting e-cigarette use and sales and Alberta says it is examining e-cigarette legislation.