Vaping in Public Legalized in Ontario One Day, Repealed the Next

One day after vapers in Ontario were granted permission to vape marijuana with medical authorization, the provincial government has decided to take a second look.

As stated on Radio Canada International, on November 25th, “The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced regulations to amend the Electronic Cigarette Act and the Smoke Free Ontario Act that the ban on using an e-cigarette in smoke-free places does not apply to a medical marijuana user who uses an e-cigarette for medical [purposes].”

This means that individuals with medical permission to use marijuana can now use electronic cigarettes and vape in public. This includes government buildings, parks, movie theatres, and restaurants.

The only caveat to the new law is that individual owners can override this rule and not allow vaping in their place of business. They can also ask for proof that a vaper is authorized to vape medical marijuana.
A move in the right direction and good news for the vaping community in Canada, right?

Not so fast!

Reports coming out on November 26th, only one day after new ecigarette rules that came into effect allowing people with medical marijuana to vape in public, state that the provincial government is taking a second drag on this new exemption and reconsidering the rules.

“We’ve heard about the concerns around this regulation,” Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla said to Toronto Sun. “And we’re going to take this feedback and see if this regulation is the best way forward.”

“Similar exemptions are in place in both B.C. and Manitoba,” she said. “We’re talking about people who need this for a medical purpose. There could be situations where somebody needs it for pain management,” she adds.

Why is the government second guessing its decision?

As of January 1^st, 2016, the government plans to ban the use of ecigarettes and vaping in all locations where cigarette smoking is currently prohibited. Also, news of the exemption have vaping opponents concerned about second hand smoke. These concerns are nothing new to the vaping community.
It will be interesting to watch this story as it develops.

Learn more about vaping in the news and recent legal developments by reading:
Ecigarette News: Legal Updates on Vaping
Bill 45: Making Healthier Choices Act 2015
The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous


The post Vaping in Public Legalized in Ontario One Day, Repealed the Next appeared first on Vapor Jedi Eliquid and Vape Accessories.

Ecigarette News: Legal Updates on Vaping

Edmonton, Alberta, is the latest Canadian city to jump on the e-cigarette hate wagon. Following Calgary’s lead, Edmonton has proclaimed a ban on the use of ecigs in all public places where smoking tobacco is also prohibited. In our ongoing quest to keep our vaping readers up to date on the latest e-cigarette legal information, public places where vaping is now banned include:

• inside a building
• on a patio (really?)
• inside a public vehicle (bus, streetcar, tram, subway and/or taxi)
• within five metres of a doorway, window or air intake of a building or patio
• within ten metres of a playground, seasonal skating rink, skate park, sports field or water spray park or splash pad
• and within all ‘no smoking’ areas

Calgary, Alberta, passed a very similar bylaw in June, 2015, and included everything Edmonton did, as well as bars, bus stops and LRT platforms. Yes – you heard right – vaping is banned at outdoor bus stops and on LRT platforms! Joining Red Deer, Cold Lake and Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary now have the toughest policies against ecigarettes in Canada. Vapers will be allowed to vape if they’re in a licensed vape shop trying out new equipment or e-juice.

US forbids airline passengers from packing ecigs in checked luggage

On to our neighbours to the south, where there’s some e-cigarette news that’s a little easier to take. Sensibly, a new federal regulation forbids airline passengers from packing electronic cigarettes or other battery-operated electronic smoking devices in their checked bags – to prevent in-flight fires. Passengers will still be allowed to pack their vape paraphernalia in their carry-ons, but will not be allowed to charge their devices while on the plane.
Apparently the US Department of Transportation has reported at least 26 packed luggage e-cig incidents since 2009 – including explosions and fires. The most likely cause is blamed on e-cigarettes that were accidently left on, were ’bumped’ on during baggage handling or had battery short-circuits. LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) even reported a checked bag that caught fire on the luggage carousal due to an overheated e-cig packed inside.

So whatever happened to vaping etiquette & common sense?

Should you vape in your office building or while visiting at the hospital? No! But should it be okay to vape on a pretty much vacant outdoor LRT or subway platform or at a bus stop? We think so!
What do you think?

The post Ecigarette News: Legal Updates on Vaping appeared first on Vapor Jedi Eliquid and Vape Accessories.