How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Cigarettes?

The short answer

There is no single national smoking age in Canada. Under the federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act it is an offence to furnish a tobacco product or a vaping product to a person under 18. Provinces and territories may set a higher minimum age, and most do.

Minimum age for tobacco and vaping products

Each age links to the official page it comes from. The federal minimum is 18; provinces and territories can set a higher age. “Not yet confirmed” means we could not read an official page for that jurisdiction on the review date.

Why the federal and provincial ages differ

The federal Act sets a floor. Health Canada’s second legislative review report says provinces and territories can set a higher age, and that six provinces and three territories use 19 and one province uses 21 for tobacco. Some of the cells above are still waiting for a confirmed official page, so treat the report as a guide to the overall pattern and the table as the confirmed detail.

What the age applies to

The age rule covers selling or supplying tobacco and vaping products. In Alberta the provincial law goes further: it sets 18 as the minimum age for purchasing, possessing and consuming tobacco and vaping products. Other provinces may word the rule differently, so read the linked source for your province.

When the age changed

Provinces have changed their ages over time. Where the official page states the date the current vaping age took effect, we show it in the province’s section on the laws by province page. For example, Alberta’s vaping provisions came into force on 31 July 2021.

Next steps

For the rest of the rules in your province, including where smoking and vaping are banned, see smoking and vaping laws by province. To understand the federal side, read federal smoking laws explained.