E-cigarettes: Vaping in Public Legalized in Ontario One Day, Repealed the Next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