Smoking and Vaping Rules in New Brunswick

As of 27 October 2026, New Brunswick sets 19 as the minimum age to buy tobacco and electronic cigarettes under its Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Sales Act. Amendments that received Royal Assent on 7 June 2024 require every place selling e-cigarettes to hold a licence. The province’s own legal and health pages blocked our automated requests, so this page covers only what we could read and says plainly what is missing.

What is the legal age in New Brunswick?

Nineteen. Bill 30 restates the 19-year limit for selling tobacco, smoking supplies and e-cigarettes, and raises a proof-of-age threshold in two subsections of section 5 from 19 to 25. Nova Scotia also uses 19; Prince Edward Island uses 21. The legal smoking age guide lists every province.

Which laws apply?

The Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Sales Act (chapter T-6.1 of the Acts of New Brunswick, 1993) covers sales, licensing, flavours and advertising. A separate Smoke-free Places Act governs where smoking is prohibited. Bill 30 was introduced on 26 March 2024, passed third reading on 29 May and received Royal Assent on 7 June 2024; the Act’s changes take effect on dates set by proclamation.

What do the 2024 amendments change for retailers?

• Licences: “vapour shop” is replaced by “electronic cigarette sales outlet,” and no one may operate one without a licence. The Minister can refuse a licence where there are reasonable grounds to believe the applicant broke the Act or its regulations.
• Flavours: a person may sell a substance that is tobacco flavoured and has no other noticeable flavour. Flavouring additives cannot be sold in tobacconist or vapour shops, and elsewhere must sit at least three metres from tobacco and e-cigarette products.
• Vending machines: selling tobacco, smoking supplies or e-cigarettes through a dispensing device is prohibited.
• Notices: a licence holder whose licence is suspended must post a notice at the entrance.

The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health lists New Brunswick among the jurisdictions that have banned all flavoured nicotine vaping products other than tobacco flavour. See vape flavour bans by province. New Brunswick is also one of the provinces in the federal additional vaping duty system.

Where can you get help to quit?

Tobacco Free NB is a free quit-smoking service from the provincial government: call 1-866-366-3667 or text SMOKEFREENB to 123456. A free online account gives access to learning materials, support and a community forum. The page says nothing about free medications or drug plan coverage. Other provinces are in free quit-smoking help by province.

How does New Brunswick differ from its neighbours?

Next door, Nova Scotia also uses 19 but has set out a vehicle ban for passengers under 19 and a four-metre entrance buffer in its own announcements. For New Brunswick we could not read the matching figures, so we make no comparison on them.

What we could not confirm

The consolidated Smoke-free Places Act and the government’s rules page returned HTTP 403 Forbidden, as did the legislation site. We therefore do not state New Brunswick’s doorway, patio, playground or vehicle distances and ages, any smoke-free housing rule, the provincial tobacco tax per carton, or whether drug plans pay for quit medications. Numbers for these circulate online, but none came from a page we could open.