Vaping: a clear and present danger

The numbers are startling. According to a recent Winnipeg Free Press story, nearly one-fifth (18.4 per cent) of Manitoba teens in Grades 7 to 12 reported using ‘vapes’, known more formally as e-cigarettes, within the month prior to answering a Health Canada survey in 2023-24.

For the unaware, vaping refers to the practise of using a battery-powered device to heat a nicotine-infused liquid (a.k.a. ‘juice’), which turns it into a vapour that can be inhaled. Vape juices are often flavoured to taste like candy and local health and education officials say vaping has become the go-to nicotine delivery system for teens and young adults in Manitoba.

That’s scary, especially since Canadians under 18 have been banned from purchasing vaping products since 2018, and the promotion and marketing of vaping to youth is prohibited.

Regardless, it is obvious our kids are getting hold of vaping devices and juices in ever-increasing numbers. And now school officials, medical professionals and health advocates alike are sounding the alarm.

Juliette Mucha, CEO of the Manitoba Lung Association, told the Free Press that vaping “has skyrocketed into a crisis.”

Substance-use counsellors in River East Transcona School Division have identified vaping as the leading substance-use concern among students in Grades 6 to 8 — children who are just 11 to 13 years old.

Because nicotine is a highly addictive substance that affects the dopamine response system in the brain, people find it incredibly difficult to stop using products that deliver nicotine. And therein lies the real alarm.

In addition to nicotine, vaping juices contain ingredients that break down into known toxic and carcinogenic compounds. Since vaping products only entered the Canadian market in 2004, medical and scientific research into their long-term effects continues and is incomplete. But the fear that vaping may be as harmful as cigarette-smoking is real.

There is already scientific evidence that the genes of regular vapers can be altered by the practice, and University of Manitoba researchers are actively investigating how vaping affects lung health. It’s unlikely the results will bear good news and, based on what we already know, young vapers are at risk of long-term illness and, potentially, fatal disease.

So, what to do?

Prohibition is not the answer, as was shown with alcohol and cannabis in the 20th century. Banning those substances drove users and suppliers underground, created illegal black markets and encouraged illicit, often violent activity, as suppliers fought for territory and markets. Enforcement of associated laws largely criminalized users and local distributors, while major suppliers often evaded prosecution.

As mentioned, 2018 amendments to Canada’s Tobacco Act and the Non-Smokers’ Health Act banned sales and marketing of vaping products to youth under 18. But the mere existence of these laws is not enough.

If federal and provincial jurisdictions want to keep children from vaping, they must take a three-pronged approach that involves further regulation, effective enforcement and comprehensive, preventive education.

Just as they have done with tobacco, legislators should act proactively to control and limit the nicotine strength and toxic ingredients of vapes and vaping products. Points of sale should be limited to specific retail outlets — perhaps a combination of pharmacies and cannabis dispensaries, which are already age-limited.

In addition, a tiered system of fines and punishments — up to and including the suspension of business licences — should be enacted and vigorously enforced.

At the same time, medical professionals, health advocates and educators must co-operatively develop preventative mandatory educational programs — aimed squarely at middle-school students — designed to discourage and ultimately prevent our children from taking up the latest ‘disgusting habit.’

All this will take investments of time and resources. It will be expensive — but it’s the least we can do for our kids.

» Winnipeg Free Press