Quick, a big cleaning for vaping

Vaping has been on a “metadic” rise among young Quebecers for the past 10 years, the Institut national de la santé publique du Québec tells us this week.

So much so that almost one in five teenagers now vapes in the province. Of the lot, 37% do it daily.

To convince Health Minister Christian Dubé of the urgency of intervening, allow us to quote… Mr. Dubé himself.

In December 2020, the Minister stated in a press release that it was “imperative to act in order to prevent a new generation from becoming dependent on nicotine because of these products”.

Mr. Dubé stated that he wanted to “quickly tackle certain measures in particular”. At the top of his list: Ban flavors and aromas that make these products appealing to young people.

Two years later, the aromas, far from being prohibited, have multiplied. Cappuccino, pina colada, “iced blue lemon”, rum, gingerbread, “vanilla-pear”, merlot wine: the industry competes in imagination, offering its products in flashy and colorful packaging.

To consume them, vape pens, special kits, “UFO double pod systems” and other gadgets are offered, again with eye-catching colors and studied designs. All accompanied by promotions like “buy four and save 15%”.

What exactly are we waiting for to clean up this circus?

In 2020, a special working group was set up by Quebec. It produced a report containing seven recommendations.

Among these: prohibit products containing flavors other than those of tobacco. Limit the maximum nicotine concentration of vaping products to 20 mg/ml. Establish sales licenses for these products. Reduce the density of points of sale around schools. Adopt a specific tax on vaping products.

These are the recommendations that Mr. Dubé promised to implement quickly. Since ? Nothing. Looks like Quebec dropped the report behind a desk and left it there.

The federal government, which has long dragged its feet on the issue of vaping, ended up reacting by setting a nicotine limit of 20 mg/ml across the country. A federal tax has also been in effect since 1^er october.

This tax was designed to leave taxing space to the provinces. Six of them have introduced a tax. But not Quebec.

This laxity is done on the back of the health of young people, victims of an industry that spares no means to seduce them.

It will be said that vaping is less dangerous than smoking. It’s true. It is the products of combustion that cause cancer as well as lung and cardiovascular disease, not nicotine.

The fact remains that vaping is far from trivial. Nicotine is a hard-to-beat addiction. The data also shows that 21% of young people aged 15 to 24 who vape also smoke traditional cigarettes.

We also still know very little about the long-term effects of vaping – remember that it takes decades for tobacco diseases to manifest themselves, and that vaping has only been widespread for about ten years.

The electronic cigarette can be an interesting tool for smokers who want to quit. Renowned cardiologist Martin Juneau, for example, uses it successfully with his patients.

But let’s be serious. The industry clearly aims to recruit new consumers among teenagers and young adults. The data shows that it works pretty well. This is what needs to be addressed urgently.

At the cost of immense public health efforts, Quebec has succeeded in bringing down the smoking rate from 40% in 1985 to 18% today. It would be awfully stupid to let another plague thwart these spectacular gains.