Canada’s Incomprehensible Reaction to Declining Youth Vaping Rates

An episode on RegulatorWatch discusses the fact that the public health sector in Canada insists of tougher vape regulations, despite the declining youth vaping rates.

Diane Caruana

April 15, 2022

In Canada youth vaping has already declined since 2019, and the daily vaping rate is at 4.7%, therefore the proposed flavour ban is unnecessary.

The episode hosts Dr. Chris Lalonde, Professor of Psychology at the University of Victoria, and a harm reduction advocate. In line with arguments by other concerned tobacco control entities, the episode discusses the fact that despite the plummeting youth vaping rates across North America, local authorities keep striving to set in place regulations with the aim of decreasing teen vaping. These regulations would be detrimental to smoking adults, who use the products with the aim of quitting smoking.

A recent press release, the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) highlighted that given that local youth vaping rates are already on the decline, a flavour ban recently proposed by the Canadian Government would be unnecessary, and counterproductive.

Based on evidence from previous studies, tobacco harm reduction and public health experts have long been pointing out that in response to flavour bans, and other harsh restrictions, most vapers tend to switch back to smoking. In fact, multiple studies have indicated that it is thanks to such products that smoking rates are decreasing in most countries.

The Canadian Tobacco and Vaping Survey 2020

The Canadian Tobacco and Vaping Survey, 2020, found that youth vaping has already declined since 2019, and youth daily vaping is at 4.7%, therefore the proposed flavour ban is unnecessary. Moreover, a recent Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey has indicated that between 2019 and 2020, there was a 40% drop in smoking rates in this specific age group, from 13.3% to 8%. This figure is encouraging for Health Canada’s no smoking target (5% by 2035) and this 5% target rate has already been achieved among those aged 15-19.