Canadian Youth at Risk: E-cigarette Use Before Smoking

According to new data released by Statistics Canada and reported by the North Shore News, two-thirds of Canadian teenagers aged 12 to 17 have used e-cigarettes before becoming traditional tobacco smokers.

In contrast, one third of young people aged 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes before smoking.

We have been closely monitoring electronic cigarettes, as a few years ago we were very concerned that they would become a gateway to smoking for young people. In fact, this is what we are seeing," said Manuel Arango, Director of Policy and Communications for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Now, by mixing traditional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, you are experiencing dual harm. Ultimately, this is extremely harmful smoking behavior, caused by the use of electronic cigarettes.

A study by Statistics Canada suggests that vaping may carry lower risks compared to smoking tobacco. John Hopkins Hospital echoed this statement in a blog post about whether vaping can help smokers quit their addiction.

Arango emphasized that "electronic cigarettes are harmful, especially for young people.

A research study conducted by a team of Swedish researchers led by Gustaf Lyytinen, a clinical physician at the Helsingborg Hospital and research fellow at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, found that e-cigarettes containing nicotine may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and damage to small arteries. The study was conducted in 2021.

Although this study is small in scale, it suggests that the health impacts of nicotine e-cigarettes are similar to those of traditional cigarettes.

In the past, some studies have suggested that vaping can help smokers quit smoking. However, many others have taken the opposite approach.

There is great uncertainty regarding whether these products are helpful for smoking cessation. Instead, what is happening is that young people are becoming addicted to nicotine and eventually smoking. Therefore, this is a public health disaster," said Arango.

A study conducted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation in 2021 found that "the use of e-cigarettes among Canadians aged 16 to 19 increased by 74% between 2017 and 2018.

Taxation and ban on flavored e-cigarettes

The 2022 federal budget will impose taxes on electronic cigarette products, effective from October 1, 2022. The tax for every 2 milliliters of the first 10 milliliters of e-liquid in an e-cigarette product will be $1, followed by an increase of $1 for every additional 10 milliliters of e-liquid.

The electronic cigarette tax is a preventative federal regulation, said Arango, which can reduce young people's consumption of electronic cigarette products.

He said that some provinces have already implemented provincial taxes, but uniformity is important.

Arango stated that we need to align the efforts of all Canadian provinces with the federal government and continue to increase these taxes, because they do help reduce smoking, they can be effective in reducing e-cigarette use among young people, especially for those who are price-sensitive.

He said that another urgent measure is to limit flavors.

Nine out of every ten young people say that these flavors play an important role in their use of e-cigarettes. Popular flavors among young people include berry, candy, mango, and mint/menthol.

The timeline for the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act states that in 2021, the federal government is proposing a ban on flavored vaping products "to prevent the use of these products from leading young people and non-tobacco product users to tobacco product use.

However, Arango observed that the Canadian Department of Health has not included mint/menthol in the flavor ban.

We know that mint/mint flavoring is the second most popular flavor. We urge them to include mint/mint flavoring because it is also something that young people enjoy.

The Canadian Department of Health is seeking to implement regulatory measures that would require manufacturers to report sales and ingredients in their products to the department.

Arango stated that disclosure of information may be beneficial for research, but it may not necessarily be helpful for the general public.

The disclosure of these ingredients is helpful for researchers and government officials, as it allows them to track and understand potential causes of harm beyond nicotine addiction in young people. However, it is questionable whether young people will actually read ingredient labels if they are too small. A larger warning would be more advisable, according to the expert.

Similar to the recently proposed and expected to be implemented by the end of 2023 cigarette warnings, Arango said, "Warnings that are as prominent as cigarettes cover 75% of a package plan, and these warnings directly discuss the dangers of e-cigarettes, which will be more useful.

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