Generational Tobacco Ban Push Sparks Black Market Warnings

Advocates are lobbying the Canadian federal government to implement a generational ban on smoking and vaping, mirroring a law in the United Kingdom that prohibits anyone born after 2008 from ever legally purchasing cigarettes. As CityNews Toronto first reported, Jessica Buckley, president and CEO of the Lung Health Foundation, and other advocates plan to meet with advisers to Health Minister Marjorie Michel and parliamentary secretary Maggie Chi to argue that such a ban would preserve health care funding for Canada's aging population.

Buckley notes that children who vape have a 3.5 times higher likelihood of eventually smoking tobacco. While the U.K. law focuses on smoking, Canadian advocates are pushing to include vaping products in the prohibition. Sarah Sleet, CEO of Asthma + Lung U.K., argues that the economic costs of smoking—estimated at $32 billion for the wider U.K. economy—outweigh lost tax revenue.

However, opponents warn the move would fuel illegal trade. Eric Gagnon, vice-president of regulatory affairs for Imperial Tobacco Canada, stated that Canada already possesses a large illicit market for nicotine pouches, vapes, and cigarettes. Jeff Brownlee, vice-president of communications for the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, added that illegal tobacco currently accounts for 50 percent of the national market and is linked to organized crime.

In Canada, tobacco use costs an estimated $11.2 billion annually and results in up to 46,000 deaths per year. According to a report from the parliamentary budget officer, the federal government collected $2.6 billion in tobacco excise tax revenue in 2024. Alexandre Bergeron, spokesperson for Health Minister Marjorie Michel, told CityNews Toronto that Canada is not currently considering a prohibition, though it is monitoring the U.K.'s initiative.