Federal convenience store council ask that vaping products require a liquor licence in Quebec [Video]

The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) publicly called on the Quebec government to require all sales of vaping products to have a grocery-grade liquor licence.

In doing so, the CICC hopes to combat certain vape shops that are currently circumventing the regulations on the sale of flavours.

Since Oct. 31, the sale of vape flavours has been prohibited by law in Quebec.

“Vapoteries — of which there are about 400 in Quebec — have circumvented the regulations by disguising themselves as convenience stores so that they can sell flavours in the form of food flavourings,” said the council’s vice-president, Michel Gadbois.

• WATCH: Quebec to ban sale of flavoured vape products

According to Gadbois, at least 80 per cent of vape shops do not comply with the regulations, compared with less than five per cent of conventional convenience stores. 

Gadbois estimates that, because of these circumventions, “depending on the location, we have lost between two and 50 per cent …