Last updated: July 20, 2021
Regulated Contents in Cigarettes
Are contents and/or ingredients of cigarettes regulated?
Ministry of Health
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act prohibits the manufacture and sale of tobacco products that contain certain additives, which are enumerated in Schedule 1 of the Act.
Are cigarette emissions regulated?
Ministry of Health
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act authorizes the Governor in Council to establish standards for tobacco product emissions. Such regulations have not been adopted and, therefore, cigarette emissions are currently unregulated.
Sugars and sweeteners (other than those added to replace sugars lost during the curing process)
Examples of sugars and sweeteners include: glucose, molasses, honey and sorbitol.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Schedule 1, Item 10) prohibits the use of "sugars and sweeteners, excluding starch" as an additive in cigarettes; little cigars; other cigars, except those that weigh more than 6 grams; and blunt wraps.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that it regulates ingredients used to increase palatability such as sugars and sweeteners in tobacco products.
Menthol, mint or spearmint (including analogues and derivatives)
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Schedule 1, Item 9) prohibits the use of "spices, seasonings and herbs," which includes mint and spearmint, as an additive in cigarettes; little cigars; other cigars, except those that weigh more than six grams; and blunt wraps. Schedule 1, Item 1.2, prohibits the use of "menthol, including l-menthol, and menthone, including l-menthone" in all tobacco products (except for those manufactured or sold for export).
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that it regulates ingredients used to increase palatability such as menthol, mint or spearmint in tobacco products.
Spices and herbs (excluding mint)
Examples include: cinnamon and ginger.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Schedule 1, Item 9) prohibits the use of "spices, seasonings and herbs" (other than clove) as an additive in cigarettes; little cigars; other cigars, except those that weigh more than six grams; and blunt wraps. Clove is prohibited in all tobacco products, other than those manufactured or sold for export.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that it regulates ingredients used to increase palatability such as spices and herbs (excluding mint) in tobacco products.
Other flavorings (not covered above)
Includes fruit flavorings. Examples of flavoring substances include benzaldehyde, maltol and vanillin.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Schedule 1, Item 1) prohibits the use of "additives that have flavouring properties or that enhance flavour" including "additives identified as flavouring agents by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives" and "additives identified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) flavouring substances by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) Expert Panel." Item 1 of Schedule 1 excludes certain enumerated additives from this ban; therefore, the regulatory status code "Some Restrictions" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit or restrict the use of ingredients used to increase palatability such as flavorings in tobacco products.
Ingredients that facilitate nicotine uptake
Examples include: ammonia.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, Schedule 1, lists additives that are prohibited in tobacco products. This Schedule does not list ingredients that facilitate nicotine uptake; therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing these types of additives.
To align with FCTC Arts. 5.2 and 9, the law should regulate ingredients that facilitate nicotine uptake, such as ammonia.
Ingredients which may create an impression of health benefits
Examples include: vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, fruit and vegetables (and products resulting from their processing such as fruit juices), amino acids, such as cysteine and tryptophan, and essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act prohibits the use of amino acids (Schedule 1, Item 2), essential fatty acids (Schedule 1, Item 5), "fruits, vegetables or any product obtained from the processing of a fruit or vegetable, excluding activated charcoal and starch" (Schedule 1, Item 6), probiotics (Schedule 1, Item 8), vitamins (Schedule 1, Item 12), and "mineral nutrients, excluding those necessary to manufacture the tobacco product" (Schedule 1, Item 13), as additives in cigarettes; little cigars; other cigars, except those that weigh more than six grams; and blunt wraps.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that the law prohibits or restricts the use of ingredients that may create an impression of health benefits in tobacco products.
Ingredients associated with energy and vitality
Examples include: caffeine, guarana, taurine and glucuronolactone.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act prohibits the use of caffeine (Schedule 1, Item 3), glucuronolactone (Schedule 1, Item 7), and taurine (Schedule 1, Item 11) as an additive in cigarettes; little cigars; other cigars, except those that weigh more than six grams; and blunt wraps.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that the law prohibits or restricts the use of ingredients associated with energy and vitality in tobacco products.
Coloring agents
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, Schedule 1, lists additives that are prohibited in tobacco products. This Schedule prohibits the use of coloring agents in tobacco products, except for certain uses on certain components such as mouthpieces, tips, wrapping paper and tipping paper.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines in that it prohibits ingredients that have coloring properties in cigarettes.
