More needs to be done to stop B.C. youths from vaping: advocate
Posted September 12, 2023 7:06 pm.
Data from a recent survey shows that 30 per cent of youths aged 15 to 19 tried vaping last year, and a B.C. advocacy group is calling for change.
The Statistics Canada-run Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey suggests “that vaping continues to be prevalent among young people in Canada.” Outside of teenagers, the survey found that 48 per cent of people between the ages of 20 and 24 have tried vaping at some point in their lives, whereas adults over 24 were far less likely to have tried vaping — as only 15 per cent reported doing so.
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StatsCan adds that its 2022 survey data on the matter doesn’t reflect a lot of change from 2021’s numbers.
Meanwhile, the BC Lung Association wants stricter regulations on flavoured vaping products, as its President and CEO, Christopher Lam, says these numbers are alarming and raise concerns for the province’s youth.
“Why are kids vaping in the first place? One of the primary reasons is flavours,” he said. “When you see flavours that are out there that are available — things like unicorn breath, birthday cake, peach pie, those are things that are I mean. Just by the name themselves, you can see they are targeting our kids, they’re interested in those flavours.”
“Having those types of products removed from the marketplace would be one of the steps that would keep it out of the hands of our kids.”
As Lam outlines, B.C. could follow an international example for age-based restrictions, eliminate flavoured products to make vaping less appealing to teens, or look at reducing the legal limit for nicotine dosages in vaping products again — as it did in 2020, when vaping products were capped at 20 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre.
Lam adds that he believes more needs to be done to hold companies accountable and to make vaping products less accessible to teens.
With files from Maria Vinca
