New data from Statistics Canada indicates that more and more Quebecers who do not use tobacco are turning to vaping.
The number of non-smokers vaping enthusiasts increased by 111% between 2017 and 2021 in the province. Moreover, the vast majority (86%) of these people are young people between the ages of 12 and 24. “We are not on a reassuring trajectory,” worries the co-director and spokesperson for the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control (CQCT), Flory Doucas.
The CQCT obtained this data from Statistics Canada and had it analyzed by the economic consulting firm Groupe d’analyse. Among other striking figures, we find that vaping is nearly four times more common among 12 to 24 year olds than among those 25 and older.
“The products are extremely attractive and easy to use,” says Flory Doucas. When we look at other reports on the subject, we see that flavors play a big role in the appeal of products. She also feels that vaping products are now widely accessible to young people, which would prove to be a nuisance. “The products are very widespread, which explains why they are not only found among the people who benefit most from them, ie ex-smokers. »
For Flory Doucas, as well as for seven other stakeholders from the health and sports community who expressed themselves in a press release on the subject, including pediatrician Nicolas Chadi and the executive director of the Quebec Lung Association, Dominique Massie , measures must be put in place to curb these increases. Mme Doucas proposes in particular the prohibition of flavored vaping products.
“Young adults who have never smoked are addicted to these products, it’s a developing market,” she notes. It is this part that increases. »
She adds that these regulations would not have to be applied to products approved by Health Canada. ” Whether [les entreprises qui vendent des produits de vapotage] are so confident in their products, they just have to get them approved,” she exclaims. Such regulations would mean that vape shops could only sell tobacco-flavoured products, while those that are flavored and approved would now be sold in pharmacies.
According to the data analyzed, tobacco smokers remain the greatest vaping enthusiasts in Quebec, followed by former smokers, then non-smokers.
Prohibition possible
Tensions are currently palpable in the Quebec vaping community. At the beginning of March, the newspaper The Press revealed that a draft regulation to ban flavors in vaping products had been submitted to the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé. Its adoption is expected in the coming weeks.
This did not fail to shock the Coalition for the Rights of Vapers in Quebec (CDVQ), which is campaigning against a ban on vaping flavors. It was not possible to reach the organization on Sunday afternoon. A press release published on March 2 by the group states, however, that “abolishing flavors in vaping would deprive tens of thousands of Quebecers of a recognized and effective means of quitting smoking”.
The group also points out that Health Canada says vaping can help people quit smoking. “While the science continues to evolve, evidence suggests that vaping nicotine-containing products (using e-cigarettes) may help adults quit smoking,” reads the website. Health Canada.
The CDVQ is organizing a demonstration Monday morning in downtown Montreal to demonstrate against the abolition of flavors in products.
Last December, the Quebec government announced that the tax on vaping products would double as of the fall of 2023. A new government initiative, this time concerning vaping flavors, would delight Flory Doucas. “Politics seem to recognize their role in better protecting young people,” she argues.