A tobacco firm has launched a legal challenge against Nova Scotia's legislation to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco including menthol.

Imperial Tobacco Canada issued a news release on Thursday saying the province exceeded its legal authority with the ban.

The law, which is set to come into effect on Sunday, includes all flavoured tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and products that are not smoked, such as flavoured rolling papers, chewing tobacco and snuff.

"By prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes, the Government of Nova Scotia has stepped beyond its legislative authority, which leaves us with no other choice than to bring this matter in front of the courts," said Caroline Ferland, a vice-president with the company.

In its release, which only discusses menthol products specifically, Imperial says there is a lack of evidence demonstrating the flavoured products with menthol are attractive to youth.

Imperial also claimed that banning menthol tobacco products would result in them being distributed by illegal traffickers.

The Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society was quick to respond to Imperial’s announcement.

“We know Nova Scotians will not tolerate Big Tobacco coming into our province and telling us how to run it,” said Barbara Stead-Coyle, the organization’s CEO, in a release Thursday evening.

Calling the announcement a “scare tactic” by Imperial, the Canadian Cancer Society called on Nova Scotians and the provincial government to fight the company’s move.

“Make no mistake, this is all about bottom-line profits because we’ve hit them where it hurts. They are nothing more than corporate bullies,” said Stead-Coyle.

Citing a study from the University of Waterloo, the society said the company’s claims that older people, not youth, prefer menthol products has been “strongly refuted.”

According to a 2012-2013 national survey, 34 per cent of high school students in Nova Scotia — or 1,800 teens — smoke menthol products, the society said.

The Canadian Cancer Society said it will hold a press conference in Halifax on Friday morning to mark the ban’s implementation on Sunday, legislation which it says puts Nova Scotia “in the forefront of tobacco control measures on a global scale.”

With files from The Canadian Press