Flavoured tobacco ban now in effect on P.E.I.

Retailers across Prince Edward Island are no longer allowed to sellflavoured tobacco, thanks to a new law that took effect Monday.

The ban prohibitsthe sale ofproducts like grape or peach flavoured chewing tobacco or cigarettes.

It's a move the Canadian Cancer Society on P.E.I. applauds because the productswereconsidered more appealingto younger smokers.

• P.E.I. flavoured tobacco ban to come into effect May 1, 2017

The society's executive director,MarleneMulligan, said the next step is to lobby for alegal minimum smoking age.

"There's about 300 municipalitiesin the U.S., includingHawaiiandCaliforniaillegal under 21...so I think that would be a good move."

Mulligan said the cancer societyis also lobbying the federal government for plain cigarette packaging and less accessible tobaccovapeproducts.

Lost sales

Atlantic Convenience Stores AssociationpresidentMikeHammoudsaid the ban willlikely lead to a reduction in sales for its members.

He said flavoured tobacco represents about five per cent of total tobacco sales in the region and menthol products another five per cent. However, he doesn't expect the ban will lead to a significant loss in overall tobacco sales.

"People will move from typically purchasing a flavoured product to a regular tobacco product or some will move to buying product illegally and some may look at just not buying the product at all," saidHammoud.

P.E.I. is the sixth province in Canada to ban flavoured tobacco products.

Imperial Tobacco Canada has launched lawsuits challenging such legislation in other provinces, including New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The company said in a statement Monday it wasstill determining its "course of action" with regard to P.E.I.'s new law.

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