Two vape industry pioneers sentenced in Canada
This marks the end of a legal battle that lasted two years. Brothers Sylvain and Christian Longpré, who launched Quebec’s very first e-cigarette shop, were found guilty of importing nicotine into Canada. They were sentenced harshly, with prison time and a large fine. This goes to show that legislation on e-liquids is a serious affair across the Atlantic.
Blazing a new trail, the Longpré brothers were the first to introduce e-cigarettes to Canada as early as 2009. They are also credited as the inventors of Vaporium’s famed “Vanilla Bourbon” e-liquid. This particular juice remains a highly-successful variety in America. To create these new products, the two brothers attempted in vain to negotiate with Canadian authorities to import nicotine-containing e-liquids into Canada.
Without government approval, they decided to import nicotine from the USA to Canada illegally. This decision to import a banned controlled substance marked the beginning of a protracted legal battle for the Longpré brothers.
Rigorous legislation for e-liquids
The brothers at first pled not guilty, which trigged long and expensive legal proceedings. After 2 years of legal struggles, both eventually pleaded guilty in exchange for a lightened sentence.
Sylvain Longpré was sentenced to 45 days in prison and a fine amounting to 10 000 Canadian dollars. His brother Christian was under house arrest for 4 months and was fined 2 500 dollars. It seems their black-market dealings ended up costing them their business.
Indeed, the case had serious professional repercussions for the Longpré brothers. It also helps shed light on the very strict legal approach to e-liquids in both Canada and the USA. The danger posed by nicotine, which remains a concern for a number of public health authorities, explains this high level of regulation when it comes to import-export activities for these products.
