A new study shows a dramatic spike in vaping among Canadian teens.
The study, by Prof. David Hammond of the University of Waterloo and published in the British Medical Journal, indicates vaping is up a whopping 74 per cent in just one year among teens aged 16 to 19. It also found that cigarette smoking increased 45 per cent among the same demographic.
The shocking stats prompted the Canadian Cancer Society to issue a call for immediate government action.
Health Minister Adrian Dix is urging federal government regulatory action restricting the concentration and delivery of nicotine, restricting the promotion and sale of flavoured vaping products, their advertising, and measures aimed at reducing youth appeal of vaping.
Dix says the province has endorsed measures noted in recent federal consultations surrounding age verification of buyers and signed deliveries.
"B.C. also stands ready to introduce its own initiatives should federal action be delayed. Obviously, it is our preference to work with other jurisdictions and the federal government on joint action," says Dix.
But Kamloops-South Thompson Liberal MLA Todd Stone says: "That’s not good enough.... We can’t sit idle as more and more youth succumb to this dangerous habit."
Meanwhile, a Coquitlam parent is calling for more restrictions on the sale of vaping products.
Tracy Green tells the Tri-City News such products should only be sold in specialty shops that are more regulated and fines should be higher for retailers that sell to kids.
If smoke shops and convenience stores were prevented from selling vape products, enforcement might be more consistent and fewer kids might get their hands on the products, Green says.
— Diane Strandberg, Tri-City News/Jon Manchester, Castanet
