SYDNEY — Nova Scotia is taking steps to ban the sale of flavoured cannabis vaping products when they become available in the new year.

Regulations are being prepared to prohibit the sale of cannabis vaping products that have a scent or flavour other than cannabis noticeable before or during use. No synthetic flavouring will be allowed. Packaging and labelling will also be prohibited from mentioning a flavour other than cannabis.

On Oct. 17 edibles, extracts and topicals became legal in Canada. All such products are subject to a 60-day notice period by Health Canada. The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. will have a small supply of products, other than flavoured vaping products, available late December, with products gradually being added in the new year. The NSLC is the only legal retailer in Nova Scotia.

“Cannabis vaping products available through the illegal market are not subject to any regulatory controls, may be contaminated, and could pose significant health and safety risks,” Justice Minister Mark Furey said in a news release. “All Nova Scotians are strongly encouraged not to use these products.”

The ban is part of the province’s effort to deter youth from vaping, including the recently announced ban of flavoured e-cigarettes and juices, as well as the previous ban on flavoured cigarettes.

In Nova Scotia, cannabis products cannot be sold to people under age 19. More than 2,200 cases of severe lung disease have been reported in the United States among people who vape e-cigarettes or cannabis products, with 48 deaths. There have been 13 such cases of severe lung disease reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. The causes of death have not yet been determined.

In a recent survey conducted by Smoke Free Nova Scotia, 95 per cent of young people in Nova Scotia who vape e-cigarettes said they prefer flavoured juices and over 48 per cent said they would quit if flavours were banned

For more information about cannabis use, visit https://novascotia.ca/cannabis/.

For more information about t vaping, visit: https://www.novascotia.ca/vaping.

news@cbpost.com