Soon, eighteen-year-olds in Saskatchewan will have to wait until they're 19 to buy cigarettes and vapes, just as they do with alcohol.Effective February 1, 2024, the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco and vapour products will increase from 18 to 19 years of age.In October 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan passed proposed legislation calling for the increase in the minimum age for tobacco and vapour product purchases. The legislative change aligns tobacco and vaping product restrictions with alcohol and cannabis."It is important for us to protect Saskatchewan youth from the dangers of tobacco and vapour products," Health Minister Everett Hindley said. "These products have no place in Saskatchewan schools and I'm pleased that MLAs on both sides of the house voted unanimously to take the necessary steps to protect students from being exposed to these products."Tobacco and vapour product retailers are responsible for ensuring they only sell these items to people 19 years and older. Government-issued identification containing the person's photograph, date of birth and signature (e.g. a passport or driver's license) is required to confirm age.Retailers will have to update their signage to reflect the new minimum age. The sign must be visible at the cash register where products are purchased.The Ministry of Health will be mailing new till stickers to retailers who can get additional till stickers from their local public health office or by downloading and colour-printing the signage directly from the Signs for Tobacco and Vapour Product Retailers webpage.The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act prohibits smoking and vaping in schools, including school grounds. This prohibition extends to all school property all the time, irrespective of whether or not school is in session, and violations trigger a $150 ticket. There are $500 fines issued to anyone who sells vapour products in a school or for the operator of a school that fails to post signs or fulfill other responsibilities under the act.Anyone who smokes or vapes in a vehicle when someone under the age of 16 is in it can get a $220 fine. The fine for selling tobacco and vapour products in prohibited places, including pharmacies, is $500.Saskatchewan has also tinkered with its minimum ages for drinking alcohol in the past. The age was 20, but reduced to 18 in 1972. The province raised the age to 19 in 1976. This currently matches the minimum age in other areas of the counter, except Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba, where the minimum age for buying alcohol is 18.In Saskatchewan a person under the legal drinking age can be fined up to $750 if found buying, attempting to buy or possessing alcohol. A person found to be selling or giving alcohol to a minor is also guilty of an offence.
