Tobacco and Vaping

When nicotine is consumed it can cause feelings of pleasure and relaxation. However, the health effects of nicotine consumption can be severe. Nicotine use will lead to physical dependence which makes it hard for individuals to quit smoking or vaping.

Health effects of regular nicotine use include:

• Physical dependence.
• Many types of cancer (including lung and oral cancer).
• Increased risk of heart disease.
• Altered youth brain development, which includes decreased memory and concentration.
• Chronic lung diseases such as, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema.
• Tooth loss and gum disease.

Everyone has their own reasons for smoking. You may:

• Smoke because of a habit or addiction, or both
• Like how it makes you look or feel
• Feel like it helps you relax or boosts your energy
• Think it gives you time to yourself
• Feel smoking helps you control your weight
• Use socially with others

Traditional tobacco is very different from commercial tobacco and plays an important role in Indigenous culture.

To Indigenous People, traditional tobacco:

• Is a sacred plant and considered a gift from the Creator.
• Has sacred use and the recreational use of commercial tobacco, especially cigarette smoking, have separate purposes and functions.
• Is a sacred medicine meant to be used as a way of healing and is an important part of culture and spiritual connectedness.
• Is used as an offering during ceremonies or to give thanks.
• Is not usually smoked, except in pipe ceremonies; a gift of traditional tobacco is a sign of respect and may be offered when asking for support, guidance, or protection.

Learn more at About Talk Tobacco.

Quitting smoking has short- and long-term benefits to your health:

• Within 20 minutes of quitting blood pressure decreases; your pulse returns to normal
• After eight hours carbon monoxide levels decrease in your body
• After 24 hours, your chances of having a heart attack decrease
• After 48 hours, your sense of smell and taste will improve
• After four days, your lung capacity will increase
• Within two weeks to three months, your blood circulation will increase
• In one to nine months your coughing, fatigue and shortness of breath will decrease
• After one year, your risk of having a heart attack is cut in half

In addition to your health, there are even more benefits to you when you quit smoking.

Financial benefits of quitting

Smoking is an expensive habit. When you quit smoking, you will save all the money you used to spend on cigarettes. Your home and car resale value will also go up from getting rid of the cigarette smoke smell.

Improve your appearance and smell

Quitting smoking means:

• You will not have yellow stains on fingers and teeth
• You will stop smelling like smoke and will stop having smoker's breath
• Your skin tone and colour will improve
• You will be less likely to get wrinkles around your mouth

Be a role model and protect your loved ones

Smoking impacts those around you. By quitting, you will be a role model for your children and family. You will also stop creating dangerous second-hand smoke. You will be protecting your children, family, friends and pets.

Sexual performance and fertility

Quitting smoking may improve your sex life. Quitting lowers your risks of erectile dysfunction or infertility.

Smoking and your social life

Smoking has an impact on your social life. Quitting smoking means people will stop nagging you to quit. It means you won't have to stand outside in the cold for a smoke.

Watch: What is the single best thing you can do to quit smoking?

Make a quit plan. This includes when you’re going to quit, how many cigarettes you will reduce per day, and how you are going to manage cravings. Set a quit date. Make sure you are not under more stress than usual when you pick your quit date.

Other factors to include in your quit plan:

• Eliminate triggers such as drinking alcohol and other smokers.
• Create a supportive environment. Get rid of extra cigarette packs. Remove ashtrays.
• Manage stress and develop coping strategies. Smoking does not reduce stress as many people think. It actually increases your stress response. It increases your pulse and blood pressure. When quitting, it is important to reduce stress and choose healthy coping strategies to help you quit. Mental health is for everyone.
• Practice different coping mechanisms like deep breathing, walking and yoga.
• Try using healthy alternatives to cigarettes, like eating carrot sticks, chewing sugar-free gum or exercising.
• Ask friends and family for support.
• Manage cravings using the four D’s
  • Drink water.
  • Delay smoking for 10 minutes. A craving only lasts as long as it takes to smoke one cigarette.
  • Do something else. Distract yourself from the craving.
  • Deep breathe. Breathe in through the abdomen. Pull up into the lungs. Repeat.

You may have a stronger addiction to nicotine if you "need" a cigarette within the first 30 minutes of waking up, and if it is very hard to go more than an hour without a cigarette.

• My change plan workbook for making healthy changes
• Tools for a smoke-free life
• On the road to quitting guide to becoming a non-smoker
• Youth adults on the road to quitting guide to becoming a non-smoker

• Use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NRT helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. NRT is available as a patch, gum, inhaler, lozenges and spray, which are available over the counter. Speak to your pharmacist or health care provider for more information.
• Join STOP on the Net. Learn if you’re eligible.
• E-cigarettes as a cessation aid may be most effective when combined with behavioural counselling. If you choose to use nicotine or vape, reduce your risk with lower risk nicotine guidelines.
• Switching completely to e-cigarettes will significantly reduce the harms associated with combusted tobacco. However, the harms associated with long-term e-cigarette use are currently unknown.
• Celebrate success!
• Reach out to Smokers' helpline. It is a community of quitters, moderated by Smokers’ Helpline quit coaches.
  • Email support - register through the website
  • Text messaging and Live CHAT with a Smokers’ Helpline quit coach
  • Text the word iQuit to the number 12345
• Use medications. Medications such as bupropion and varenicline can increase your chances of quitting. Talk to your health care provider to see if these options are right for you.
• Manage withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is your body's response to being without the nicotine drug.

Relapse

Some people start smoking again shortly after quitting. You may need several attempts to quit smoking. Side effects such as cravings, withdrawal and weight gain can all make it difficult to quit.

• Review your quit plan. It can be difficult to overcome this addiction. Start again.
• Manage withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is your body's response to being without the nicotine drug. People may have different symptoms.
• Use medications. Medications such as varenicline can increase your chances of quitting. Talk to your health care provider to see if this option is right for you.
• Develop new ways to deal with stress. Deep breathing, exercising, therapy and asking for help are all ways to cope with stress.
• Set new goals. Make your plan as realistic as possible. Even reducing the amount of cigarettes you smoke daily is a step in the right direction.

Connect with additional resources

• Don’t Quit Quitting
• Reach out to Smokers' Helpline. It is a community of quitters, moderated by Smokers’ Helpline quit coaches.
  
  • Email support - register through the website
  • Text messaging and Live CHAT with a Smokers’ Helpline quit coach
  • Text the word iQuit to the number 12345

• Call the Durham Health Connection Line to talk to a public health nurse for support with quitting.
• Receive support at Durham Community Health Centre from health care professionals with quitting smoking through support groups.
• Pinewood Addiction Support Services (PASS) offers community support for addictions. Residential Withdrawal Management Services (RWMS) offers short-term, residential support to individuals withdrawing from substances. The services are for people who are 18 and older. Located at 300 Centre Street South, Oshawa. Call 905-721-4747 or 1-888-881-8878 (toll free).
• Smoke Free Connect is a nationwide initiative supporting Canadian adults aged 18 and older who are interested in quitting commercial tobacco, especially those living in rural and remote communities. You can access tools, track progress, manage triggers, and connect with people who share your goals and your interests beyond smoking.

• Vaping devices use a battery to heat up a liquid (known as e-juice, e-liquid, vape juice) which creates an aerosol that can be inhaled through the device’s mouthpiece.
• Vapes come in different shapes and sizes and can look like traditional cigarettes, pens, USB flash drives, and box-like battery devices with a mouthpiece.
• Vaping devices can either be refillable or non refillable. Non refillable vaping devices are also known as disposable vapes.

Although e-cigarettes may contain less chemicals than tobacco cigarettes, vaping is not harmless. There is little research on the safety and long-term health risks of vaping.

Vaping is known to:

• Cause addiction due to nicotine in e-liquid
• Contain chemicals such as formaldehyde, acrolein, propylene glycol and artificial flavorings
• Cause coughing, wheezing, worsening of asthma symptoms, shortness of breath and chest pain
• Produce vapour that can be an irritant to the throat, lungs, and eyes
• Alter teenage brain development and affect memory, concentration, impulse control and mood swings due to nicotine
• Contain as much nicotine as one pack of cigarettes in some e-cartridges

Vaping started as a way for adult smokers to quit smoking tobacco and inhaling the harmful chemicals in commercial cigarettes.

The most common reasons for youth to try vaping are curiosity, stress relief, social influence and the appeal of flavourings. Misleading marketing, popularity, and discreet use in public spaces can influence youth to try e-cigarettes. Even youth who do not use tobacco are starting to experiment with e-cigarettes believing that they are safe contributing to the alarming rise in youth vaping rates.

Get more information on youth and vaping.

Youth are vaping more and most who do have tried to quit. Quitting vaping is important because many of the negative health effects are not known.

Youth report the following reasons for wanting to quit:

• They do not want to become addicted to nicotine
• Smoking can cost a lot of money
• Lack of trusted information

There is not one way to quit vaping so each person’s path to quitting will be different. It may take more than one try to quit before becoming successful and that is okay.

Helpful links to help yourself or someone else quit vaping:

• Kids Help Phone
  • Vaping is on the rise. Here’s what you need to know
  • Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868
• Health811
• Quash App
• Not An Experiment
• Watch: Let's talk about vaping

Vaping and/or smoking as an adult puts your health at risk.

• The many flavours, devices, easy access to vaping products, and addiction to nicotine make it hard to quit.
• Most Canadians over 25 have tried quitting on their own. People try to quit in a number of ways including cutting back on the number of cigarettes smoked, using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, online programs and switching to vaping.
• There is no clear data about how useful vaping is to help quit smoking. In young adults, vaping can lead to nicotine dependence and the risk of starting to smoke tobacco cigarettes. To avoid health risks caused by nicotine it is best to quit. Learn more about nicotine.
• Using both tobacco and vaping (dual-use) exposes you to harmful chemicals. The risk of heart disease is higher in dual users compared to those who smoke only cigarettes.
• Early support can help prevent or reduce the harmful effects of vaping on your body. Talk to your health care provider to help you lead a vape-free and nicotine-free life.

Smokers' Helpline is a community of quitters for 18 years of age and over, moderated by Smokers’ Helpline quit coaches.

• Combination therapy trial pack offer available for eligible quitters
• Email support - register through the website
• Text messaging and Live CHAT with a Smokers’ Helpline quit coach
• Text the word iQuit to the number 12345

Talk Tobacco offers culturally appropriate support and information to First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban Indigenous communities.

• Phone, text, online support
• For free and confidential support, connect with a Talk Tobacco Quit Coach by calling 1-833-998-8255
• For free text program, text the word CHANGE to the number 123456

The Expand Project strives to both start and expand conversations around nicotine and tobacco amongst queer and trans young adults 18 to 29.

QuashApp a free smoking and vaping cessation program for youth and emerging adults (ages 14 to 30). Mobile app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Youth Addiction and Concurrent Disorders Service (CAMH)

• Offers treatment for young people (14 to 24 years) who have substance use challenges/concerns, with or without concurrent mental health concerns.
• Utilizes a harm reduction model and individualized approach with young people.

Links to services

• Call the Durham Health Connection Line to talk to a public health nurse for support with quitting.
• Pinewood Addiction Support Services (PASS) offers community support for addictions. Residential Withdrawal Management Services (RWMS) offers short-term, residential support to individuals withdrawing from substances. The services are for people who are 18 and older. Located at 300 Centre Street South, Oshawa. Call 905-721-4747 or 1-888-881-8878 (toll free).

What is second-hand smoke?

Second-hand smoke is tobacco smoke inhaled by people who are not actively engaged in smoking and consists of the smoke that a smoker breathes out, as well as the smoke that drifts into the air from the burning end of a cigarette or other smoking device (e.g. cigar, pipe, bidi).

What are the numbers?

Each year in Canada, 800 non-smokers die from lung cancer and heart disease caused by exposure to second-hand smoke. There are thousands of chemicals in second-hand smoke and at least 70 of these can cause cancer.

Did you know?

• Going into a different room or opening a window is not enough to protect your family from second-hand smoke.
• Outdoor levels of second-hand smoke within one or two meters of a lit cigarette can be as high as indoor levels.

Risks

Second-hand smoke is dangerous and there is no safe level of exposure. Second-hand smoke is linked to:

• breast cancer
• lung cancer
• heart disease
• stroke
• nasal sinus cancer
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• acute respiratory symptoms (cough, wheeze, chest tightness, difficulty breathing)
• onset or worsening of asthma

In children, exposure to second-hand smoke can cause:

• decreased lung function
• low birth weight
• bronchitis, pneumonia and other lower respiratory diseases
• worsening of asthma
• middle ear disease

Exposure to second-hand smoke has also been linked to childhood cancer (leukemias, lymphomas, brain tumours), onset of asthma, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

What is second-hand vape?

Second-hand vape is the aerosol that is inhaled by people who are not actively engaged in vaping and consists of the aerosol that a person who vapes breathes out while vaping.

Risks

• The health effects of second-hand vape are still being studied.
• The risks of second-hand vape are expected to be lower than second-hand smoke from tobacco products since the second-hand vape from vaping products contains less chemicals than cigarette smoke. However, second-hand vapour is not harmless.
• For those that do vape it is recommended to only vape outdoors and avoid vaping around others.
• Under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 vaping is prohibited in the same places where smoking is prohibited.

When you make your home smoke and vape-free, you protect those who live with you. You also help yourself quit smoking or vaping by reducing the triggers around you. Opening a window or going into another room does not protect your family from second-hand smoke and vapour.

Use these tips to make your home smoke-free:

• Make your outside smoking and vaping areas as comfortable as possible and pick a place where smoke and vape will not drift back into the house through a window or door.
• Display smoke-free and vape-free home signs as a reminder to friends or family that your home is smoke and vape-free and provide a comfortable place for them to smoke or vape.
• Time your smoking or vaping to other outings (e.g. getting the mail, running errands) if you live in an apartment building.
• Find a trusted family member or neighbour to watch young children so they are not alone when you go to smoke or vape outside and offer to do the same for them.
• Set a date for your home to become smoke or vape-free; choosing a memorable date like a birthday or holiday can help.

If you live in an apartment, condo, or townhome, you may have second hand smoke or vapour coming into your home from your neighbour’s unit. This is a problem for many people, especially those with asthma, allergies, lung disease, heart disease, or diabetes. For children, this also increases the risk of many health problems.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act protects people from second hand smoke and vapour in public places such as common areas (e.g. hallways, stairwells, elevators, laundry rooms) in apartments and condominiums. Private units in apartments, condos, or townhomes can be made smoke or vape-free. Landlords have the legal right to designate their building as smoke and vape-free housing and a right to protect their property.

Learn more about making your apartment, condominium or townhome smoke and vape-free:

Smoke-free housing Ontario

When you smoke or vape in the car, everybody in the car is affected. Opening a window does not reduce the effects of second-hand smoke or vapour. It is against the law to smoke or vape inside of a vehicle when there is anyone under the age of 16 present.

Use these tips to make your car smoke and vape free:

• Keep a warm jacket and umbrella in the car or stop at a place with an outdoor sheltered area if possible
• Put your cigarettes or vapes in the trunk, out of reach
• Put a smoke-free and vape-free sticker on your window to let friends or family know your car is smoke and vape-free and stop for cigarette or vape breaks
• Plan cigarette or vape breaks when you stop for food or gas when going on a long trip

If you are in the car with young children, turn off the car, step outside and stand where you can see the children to take your smoke or vape break; never leave the car running with children inside.

Third-hand smoke and vapour are the residue of toxic chemicals that is left behind after smoking and vaping and clings to surfaces such as:

• Furniture
• Carpeting
• Walls
• Food
• Clothing
• Skin and hair

Third-hand smoke and vapour build up on these surfaces over time and puts infants, children, and pets at a greater risk for exposure than adults. Exposure to third-hand smoke can increase the risk of health problems such as asthma and cancer.

You can take the following steps to protect your loved ones from third-hand smoke and vapour:

• Only smoke or vape outdoors and away from air intakes (e.g. doorways, open windows)
• Use soap and water to wash surfaces in your home and car
• Clean all carpets and fabrics to remove residue from third-hand smoke and vapour
• After smoking or vaping wash your face and hands to remove residue from your skin and change your outer layer of clothing. This especially important to do before picking up babies, children or pets.

A tobacco and vape-free workplace will not only contribute to a safer and healthier society, but also saves money. Smoke-free environments contribute to increased productivity, better morale, and lower cleaning costs.

Why become a tobacco and vape-free workplace?

What are the tobacco and vaping operational requirements for employers?

Employer and operators are required to:

• Ensure that employees and members of the public are aware that smoking or vaping is prohibited in enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places.
• Post mandatory "no smoking" and "no vaping" signs at all entrances and exits and other appropriate locations. Mandatory signs are available from Durham Region Health Department, Health Protection Division.
• Remove all ashtrays.
• Ensure employees and members of the public do not smoke or vape in the workplace/public place.
• Post mandatory "no smoking" and "no vaping" signs in all company/workplace vehicles.

How can I learn about workplace policy and enforcement?

Individual workplaces may also implement their own policies that further regulate smoking or vaping such as:

• Implementing a smoke-free entrances/grounds policy.
• Prohibiting smoking and vaping on all workplace property or restricting smoking and vaping to specific areas outdoors (ex. no smoking or vaping at least nine metres of any window, door, and intake vent).
• Ensuring all employees are protected from second-hand smoke and vapour while at work by enhancing existing policies (e.g. Ensuring workers are protected from second-hand smoke and vapour when entering private homes to perform their job).

For more information about how you can create a smoke and vape-free workplace, visit CCOHS: Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS): Workplace Policy.

• Smoking and vaping on school grounds, such as in washrooms, is a problem in many schools. It causes students and staff to inhale second-hand smoke and vapour.
• Smoking tobacco and vaping on and within 20 metres of school property (two bus lengths) can result in a $305 fine (Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017).
• Teachers play a large role in students’ lives. They can support them in making choices about quitting.
• For information on how to navigate difficult conversations with youth on nicotine use visit the youth section.

For more information to help students quit smoking or vaping, please visit our Educator's page.

Nicotine and other chemicals found in tobacco and vaping products have many harmful effects on the developing brain and bodies of children and teens. Getting support for your child or teen early can help prevent or reduce the harmful effects of smoking and vaping on their body.

Parents and other caring adults have a big impact on the health decisions children make, including about smoking and vaping. Even teens say that their parents are a big influence in their lives. Talking to your children about smoking and vaping can play a big part in helping them to be informed and make good choices.

Not an experiment parent/caregiver resource

Tips for talking to your child or teen about smoking and vaping:

Stay connected: Talk early and often with your child about their thoughts about smoking and vaping. Encourage an honest discussion by asking open-ended questions and listening more than you talk.

Be positive: Build trust by listening with an open mind. Try not to frighten or lecture your child when talking about smoking or vaping.

Focus on safety: Be prepared with facts about smoking and vaping so that you can answer their questions. If there is something that you don’t know the answer to, be honest and use the opportunity to learn together. To learn more about smoking and vaping please visit the tobacco/vaping section.

Be supportive: Youth may smoke or vape for different reasons; to fit in or to cope with stress. Create a safe space for your child by being open, non-judgmental, and understanding. Be ready to help your child find healthier coping strategies and ways to deal with peer pressure.

Set a positive example: If you smoke or vape be open and honest about why you started and how it affects your health. Try not to smoke or vape in front of your children – the more they see it, the more normal it will seem, and children often do what they see. It’s never too late to quit. Talk to your health care provider or find supports to quit in your community.

Talk with your child or teen: For information on how to navigate difficult conversations with youth on nicotine use visit the youth section.

More information and services

• Talking with your teen about vaping: A tip sheet for parents (Health Canada)
• Flavoured Vapes Hook Kids (Canadian Lung Association)
• Parent Support Hub (Drug Free Kids Canada)

Smoking and vaping during pregnancy is harmful to you and your baby. When you or someone around you smokes or vapes, the baby smokes and vapes too. Living a smoke and vape-free life is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby.

Smoking during pregnancy can have many negative effects on the baby and puts your baby at a higher risk for complications such as:

• Premature birth and low birth weight
• Decreased fetal growth
• Placental abruption
• Stillbirth or miscarriage
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Exposure to second-hand smoke is also very harmful for the developing baby. Second-hand smoke contains all the of same chemicals that are in the smoke that the smoker inhales and can get passed to the baby through the placenta.
Babies who are exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy are at a higher risk for:

• Low birth weight and reduced fetal growth
• Stillbirth
• Birth defects
• Developing health problems such as leukemia, lymphomas, and brain tumours

Vaping also contains nicotine and other chemicals that are toxic for the developing baby and can impact brain and lung development. Although vaping products may contain fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes, it is still harmful to you and your baby and it is recommended that women who are pregnant avoid vaping and exposure to second-hand vapour.

If you do smoke or vape, it is best to avoid doing so in enclosed spaces such as your home or vehicle and instead go outdoors. Preventing your exposure to second-hand smoke and vapour will also reduce risks to baby.

To learn more about quitting smoking or vaping during pregnancy, speak with your health care provider.

For more information:

• Your Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
• Pregnets - Nicotine dependent clinic

If you smoke or vape, nicotine and other harmful chemicals can be passed through your breast milk to your baby.

Lower the risk to your baby by:

• Avoiding smoking or vaping in enclosed spaces such as your home or vehicle.
• Avoiding exposing your child to second and third-hand smoke and vapour.
• Reducing the number of times you smoke or vape.
• Avoiding smoking or vaping before breastfeeding your baby; smoke or vape immediately after your baby feeds or when they sleep for a longer stretch of time so there is more time for the nicotine levels to decrease before you will breastfeed again.
• Washing your hands, brushing your teeth, and changing your outer layer of clothing after you smoke or vape.
• Asking family members and visitors to wash their hands and remove an outer layer of clothing before interacting with baby.
• Buying vaping products from legal and regulated sources.
• Asking family members and visitors to smoke or vape outside.

If you are interested in learning more about quitting smoking or vaping, please speak with your health care provider.

For more information:

• Feeding Your Baby
• Pregnets

Youth may begin smoking and vaping during their teenage years.

• Nicotine and other chemicals found in tobacco and vapour products are harmful to the teenage brain. They impact memory, concentration, impulse control, and behaviour.
• Youth can become addicted to nicotine much more easily and with less exposure than adults.
• Youth who vape are at increased risk of starting smoking.
• The tobacco and vaping industry promote their harmful products to youth. Billions of dollars are spent on marketing, They use many flavours, and attractive looking vape products to entice young people to use their harmful products.

Youth say they vape for many reasons like being curious, wanting to try something new, and to relieve stress. Most youth do not vape to quit smoking. Vaping has long term health effects. Vaping is not a safe or healthy addiction to start.

Conversation tools

The Brief Conversations Toolkit made by public health experts from Ontario Public Health Units and the Lung Health Foundation can assist in navigating difficult conversations with youth on nicotine use by following these steps:

• Step One - Ask, don’t interrogate
  Meet youth where they are. Use a non-judgmental, calm and curious approach that motivates and supports them. Use open ended questions to ask their thoughts on nicotine use and if they are interested in change or quitting. Be sure to listen in this step as this affects how you act later. Once you understand their thoughts and feelings on nicotine use, move onto the next step.
• Step Two – Act
  • They are open to change. That’s fantastic! Support them by providing information, supports, and websites that can help the with their quit journey.
  • They are not ready for change yet. Change can be hard and stressful. Even if someone isn't ready now, it doesn't mean they won't be ready later. Keep showing them you care and support them.

For more information, resources, and videos on how to have brief conversations visit Brief Conversations Toolkit.

Get more information on youth vaping.

Young adulthood is a stage of life with many changes such as leaving home for the first time, starting work post-secondary education, and being more independent. This can be a stressful time where young adults start smoking or vaping. The brain develops until age of 25. The harmful effects of nicotine and other chemicals found in tobacco and vape products impact the brain and body in many ways including:

• Addiction
• Mood disorders
• Reduced impulse control
• Negative effects on attention, memory, concentration, and learning

Vaping rates are rising in this group. Young adults who are unhoused, lack access to food, or mental health issues are at a greater risk of harms from smoking and vaping.

Early support can help prevent or reduce the harmful effects of smoking and vaping on the brain and body. Learn more about quitting supports.

• About vaping - Canada.ca
• Not an experiment
• Vaping what you and your friends need to know

The SFOA regulates the smoking of tobacco products, the use of electronic cigarettes to vape any substance, and the smoking of cannabis to protect people of Ontario especially youth, from the harms of tobacco, the potential harms of vapour products, and the harms of second-hand cannabis smoke.

Restricting youth access to tobacco and vapour products is an integral part of the SFOA, a comprehensive tobacco control program aimed at preventing children and youth from starting to use tobacco and vapour products.

Smoking and vaping laws are enforced on school property.

• Under the SFOA, 2017 the smoking of tobacco, cannabis and the use of an electronic cigarette to vape any substance is prohibited on all elementary and secondary school property within 20 m of grounds
• Students observed smoking/vaping on school property may be issued a ticket for $305.
• Students who are sharing or supplying tobacco/vape products on school property may be issued a ticket for $490.
• Know the law... Be in the Know pamphlet | card.

How the Act affects: Schools

You cannot smoke or vape:

• On and within 20 metres of school grounds of any school.
• On children’s playgrounds or public areas within 20 metres of children’s playgrounds.
• On a patio of any bar or restaurant, including the public areas within nine metres of the patio.
• Within nine metres of any entrance or exit of a public or private hospital, psychiatric facility, long-term care home or independent health facility. On any outdoor hospital grounds or psychiatric facility grounds.
• On publicly owned sporting areas, their fan/viewing areas, and public areas within 20 metres of these places.
• In any common indoor areas of condos, apartment buildings or college and university residences.
• On the outdoor grounds of a community recreational facility and any public areas within 20 metres of its grounds.

A specialty vape store is a business registered with the local Board of Health that primarily sells vapour products.

A retailer can register as a specialty vape store with Durham Region Health Department if the following criteria are met:

A specialty vape store must have vapour products account for at least 85 per cent of its total sales in the previous year.

If the retailer has been in operation for less than one year, at least 85 per cent of the retailer's total inventory purchases or sales for that time period must be vapour products.

The remaining up to 15 per cent of the store's revenues or inventory would have to be dedicated to other items associated with a vapour product or branded with the name of the specialty vape store or a brand of vapour products.

One business name sign may be posted on the exterior of the specialty vape store, but it must not contain additional promotional language (e.g., "Best vape store in town", "vape pens, e-juice sold here").

Guidelines for registration as a specialty vape store

How the Act affects: Specialty vape stores

Application form

Submit public health applications for businesses online

A tobacconist is a business registered with the local board of health that primarily sells specialty tobacco products.

This includes tobacco products and accessories (e.g. cigars, pipes, humidors), but does not include cigarettes.

A retailer can register as a tobacconist with Durham Region Health Department if the following criteria are met:

Specialty tobacco products account for at least 85 per cent of its total sales in the previous year.

If the retailer has been in operation for less than one year at least 85 per cent of the retailer's total inventory, purchases or sales during this time period must relate to speciality tobacco products.

The remaining up to 15 per cent of the store's revenues or inventory would have to be from cigarettes or other items reasonably associated with a tobacco product and branded with the name of the tobacconist or a brand of tobacco.

One business name sign may be posted on the exterior of the tobacconist, but it must not contain additional promotional language (e.g., "Best cigars in town", "Cigars sold here").

Guidelines for registration as a tobacconist

How the Act affects: Tobacconists

Application form

Submit public health applications for businesses online

Download signs

For retailers

• Tobacco product age restriction sign
• Tobacco product identification sign
• Vapour product age restriction sign
• Vapour product identification sign

For businesses

No smoking, no vaping signs for businesses

Request printed signs

Durham Region retailers and businesses can request signs from the Health Department by contacting the Durham Health Connection Line.