Okay, I'll go straight to my conclusion.
Electronic cigarettes and vaping should be endorsed as a tobacco harm reduction strategy that can minimize or alleviate over 37,000 Canadian smoking-related deaths each year.
All consumer products are regulated, and e-cigarettes should not be an exception. Consumers need to feel confident that they are purchasing safe, high-quality items. But the regulation of e-cigarettes needs to be proportionate and not discriminatory, especially considering the potential they offer for eliminating the scourge of tobacco-related diseases.
Any regulations should include input from all stakeholders, including industry and vapers.
Science and evidence rather than anti-tobacco ideology and rhetoric should be the guides for public health policy and electronic cigarette products that are free of tobacco. Such policies and outcomes will save Canadian lives now and into the future.
I would just like to put forward something from Mitch Zeller of the FDA, who said that if we could get all smokers to completely switch all of their cigarettes for one of these non-combustible products, that would be good for public health.
Thank you.