According to the Financial Post on October 31, convenience stores in Quebec, Canada, asked Health Minister Christian Dubé to review a ban on the sale of flavored vapes in stores. The ban was introduced a year ago, but since then, demand for these products has surged in illegal online channels.
The Canadian Convenience Industry Council (CICC) pointed out that the ban has led to ongoing health, financial and legal problems and has failed to curb the access and use of vapes by teenagers. Although sales at Quebec’s 5,000 law-abiding convenience stores have halved, bad merchants have thrived by illegally selling flavored products online or selling flavorings in stores.
Michel Gadbois, the association’s vice president, said, “Rather than protecting the public, this regulation makes the situation worse. It encourages illegal sources of vapes, increases their appeal to young people, and punishes honest convenience store owners. It is clear that this is a complete failure, and Health Minister Christian Dubé is fully responsible for this.”
Quebec’s flavor ban has brought substantial growth to online vape sales in Canada, according to a new directory released by the Canadian Convenience Industry Council, which lists more than 600 vape websites serving Quebec. Most of these websites are hosted on platforms such as Shopify, offering a wide variety of fruit and other flavors of disposable vapes, which are popular with teenagers for their eye-catching designs.
According to the Storeleads.com directory, the five most popular websites in Canada are: fatpanda.ca, vapeloft.com, uvapeshop.com, canvape.com and vapevapevape.ca. These five websites generate a total of nearly 30 million Canadian dollars in sales each year. They are easily accessible to minors, offer discounts, bulk purchase price cuts, first-time order discounts and free shipping after reaching a certain amount, and do not strictly verify the age of buyers.
In addition, these websites do not collect Quebec consumption taxes, but collect federal and provincial taxes in their locations.
Convenience stores in Quebec are asking the government to address the problem of illegal online markets and require vape stores to comply with regulations similar to those of stores selling alcohol in order to re-establish commercial fairness.
“It is important that all legal retailers abide by the rules, and it is urgent to take action against illegal retailers. As we have done, we are ready to continue working with the government to solve a problem that punishes law-abiding local stores.”
Guutuu vapes has always been committed to providing high-quality and safe vape products. However, Canada’s recent ban on flavored vapes has triggered a series of illegal online sales issues, which is worrying.
The Guutuu vape brand has always been committed to operating in compliance and providing products that meet regulatory standards. In this context, the brand is deeply concerned about the growth of illegal online sales. This illegal sales not only increase the appeal to teenagers, but also constitute unfair competition for honest convenience store operators.
Canada’s five most popular vape websites show that these websites have annual sales of tens of millions of Canadian dollars and are easily accessible to minors. They offer various offers and discounts, are not strict on age verification, and bypass Quebec’s consumption tax system.
In this case, Guutuu vapes calls on the government and regulators to strengthen supervision of illegal online sales and establish a fairer market environment. The brand will continue to be committed to compliant operations and provide users with safe and high-quality vape products. At the same time, it will also support the government to solve problems in the vape market and ensure that consumers’ rights and health are effectively protected.
Tags: Canada’s flavored vape ban，Convenience stores in Quebec, Canada，Guutuu vape