The Quebec government has tabled a bill to get tough on smokers and regulate e-cigarettes.
The bill, tabled Tuesday would ban smoking on restaurant terrasses and in cars with children. It would also make electronic cigarettes subject to nearly all same rules as cigarettes
Quebec’s Public Health Minister Lucie Charlebois said there aren't conclusive studies on dangers of e-cigarettes but says it’s “better to err on side of caution.”
Sales of flavoured cigarettes and cigarillos, including menthol, would be banned under Bill 44, Quebec's tobacco law. It's the first update to the law in 10 years.
E-cigarettes would be exempted.
Here;s a quick breakdown of the legislation.
Quebec hopes to bring smoking rate in province down from to 16 per cent from the current 22 per cent with the proposed measures.
As many as 10,000 Quebecers die of smoking every year.
The move has garnered praise from Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand, who has been lobbying for tougher tobacco laws for years, as well as the Quebec Student Sport Network.
Medical marijuana in hospitals
At the same time, Quebec will also allow hospitals to set up marijuana smoking rooms for patients with authorization to smoke pot for medical purposes.
Luke Bury, whose father Charles used medical marijuana before he died of cancer in February 2014, was pleased with the news.
"He would be very proud," Bury told CJAD News.
“It was my dad’s ‘last hurrah’. My father asked when he was very sick and dying of cancer, he asked his doctor to prescribe medical marijuana for him, even though it wasn’t something that was done yet. The doctor agreed and he decided afterwards he wanted to go to the media with it, to make it public, so that other patients could have easier access to it when they were sick."
