The British Columbia government has tabled what it says is the first law in Canada to recover health care costs from companies that use "deceptive practices" to sell vaping products. 

Attorney General Niki Sharma says the legislation is modelled after similar laws the government used to sue tobacco companies and opioid manufacturers. 

She says some vaping companies have "engaged in deceptive practices to boost their profits" by marketing their products as safe and sometimes even beneficial, often targeting impressionable youth despite "knowing full well how untrue their claims are."

Sharma says vaping has been gaining traction in Canada, especially among young people, and its popularity threatens to reverse declining tobacco use, "one of the most important public health achievements of the recent past."

She says B.C. risks losing a "whole new generation to nicotine addiction." 

Education Minister Lisa Beare says the legislation complements measures by the province to help young people to understand the risks of vaping and to make educated choices. 

– Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press