Amid a near tripling of the number of Alberta high school students who use e-cigarettes, parents and health advocates are calling on the provincial government to protect teens from vaping’s potentially harmful effects.
According to the federal government, “Though evidence on the potential benefits and risks of vaping products is still emerging, Health Canada is of the view that while vaping products are harmful, they are less harmful than smoking cigarettes.”
The truth is that little is known about vaping’s health effects.
“One of the interesting things about vaping is that it's a relatively new phenomenon. So unfortunately we don't have a lot of good long term data,” Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw told CTV Edmonton.
What is known is that such products are growing in popularity amongst Alberta youth.
More teens turning to vaping
According to the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, the number of Alberta high school students who admit to vaping has almost tripled between 2015 and 2017, from eight per cent to 22 per cent. In 2017, 22 per cent equaled 27,000 high school teenagers.
Furthermore, data from 2016-2017 suggests 42 per cent of Alberta high school students, and 15 per cent of junior high school students, have tried it.
The Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health, Les Hagen, said this is “very, very disturbing.”
Advocates concerned Bill S-5 not enough
Bill S-5, effective November 19, will establish the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act as a framework for the manufacturing, selling, labelling, and promotion of vaping products in Canada.
In the federal government’s words, the act will modernize the country’s approach to tobacco control.
It “bans the sale of non-prescription vaping products to persons under the age of 18 years” and prohibits “the promotion of vaping products that are appealing to youth.”
Eight provinces have created their own regulations in addition to the federal government’s.
However, Alberta is not one of them.
“At the very least, they could proclaim legislation that’s been outstanding now for five years that would actually apply the same rules to vaping as we currently have on smoking,” Hagen said.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman has the provincial government is working on it, using other province’s rules as guidance.
“It is useful sometimes to see where other provinces have gone, so we don’t have to recreate,” she said.
But Shirley-Ann Mercier is one of many who urgently want action from the government on what could be a dangerous trend.
Mercier is a mother to two high-school aged girls who have both asked to try vaping.
“They say it can’t be harmful because some of the products don’t contain nicotine, so how can that be dangerous?” Mercier said.
“I haven’t seen a government program, an education program, really touting the dangers of vaping.”
With files from Carmen Leibel
