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A week after introducing legislation trumpeted as one of the most comprehensive and aggressive laws to help keep young people from using tobacco, the Liberals are supporting amendments that gut the essence of the bill and have opposition members declaring victory for Big Tobacco.

When Bill 60 was originally introduced, it called for a ban on all flavoured tobacco products as well as the flavoured e-juice used in e-cigarettes, but maintained an exemption for menthol. The bill would also ban the use of e-cigarettes anywhere traditional cigarettes are banned, enforce display and advertising restrictions on the products and ban the use of hookah pipes in public places.

Dozens of witnesses at a law amendments committee meeting on Monday testified that e-cigarettes have helped them quit smoking and they called for e-juices to be exempted from the flavour ban. A number of people spoke about the culture significance of the hookah. Only tobacco industry lobbyists spoke against the proposed ban on flavoured tobacco products.

Kelly Cull of the Canadian Cancer Society said that while she wouldnt have been surprised to see an exemption for e-juices, she was shocked by the Liberals backtracking on flavoured tobacco.

Its completely disheartening, she said. This was a component of the legislation that was entirely rooted in fact. The science has consistently told us that 50 per cent of teen tobacco users in this province use flavoured tobacco.

So the flip flop on this is astonishing . . . I wish I had a better understanding of the rationale.

Liberal committee members were unable to provide that rational.

Sackville-Beaver Bank MLA Stephen Gough said youth smoking is a major concern of the government. Pressed on how that view mixes with removing the ban on flavoured tobacco, Gough said he wasnt 100 per cent sure on why the decision was made.

East Hants MLA Margaret Miller said she was comfortable with the governments decision because it shows they are listening to the people. Although it was pointed out that only industry lobbyists spoke against the flavoured tobacco ban, Miller rejected the idea the government was caving to industry.

As Liberal MLAs attempted to duck away from TV cameras and reporters, a Health and Wellness Department staffer hurriedly handled out a news release saying the government would spend the next year consulting with the public about the question of flavoured tobacco and e-juices.

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Liberals choke when faced with flavoured tobacco, e-juice ban