‘We know that every day, more and more young people are getting addicted to nicotine through vaping,’ said Denniela Jean Belen, a second-year biomedical sciences student
Local university students and youth health advocates are urging the Alberta government to consider stronger regulations to keep kids from vaping — but their pleas may have fallen on deaf ears.
Members of Stop Addicting Adolescents to Vaping and E-cigarettes (SAAVE) recently canvassed all 86 of Alberta’s MLAs, asking them to weigh in on three proposed legislative changes to restrict youth from vaping and e-cigarettes.
Formed in 2019, SAAVE is an advocacy group comprising 38 University of Calgary health science undergraduates and high school students, with a mandate of tackling youth nicotine addiction.
The group wants the government to consider banning all vaping flavours other than tobacco, to ban single-use vaping devices and to require retailers to stock all vaping products behind the counter.
SAAVE’s members contacted all 86 MLAs in Alberta up to three times each from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7, using a standardized script to ask whether they supported the proposed regulations.
At a news conference Monday, SAAVE’s members highlighted that the vast majority of MLAs either ignored their poll or were noncommittal.
“This was pretty disappointing because we really wanted to understand their views on our three measures to prevent youth nicotine addiction,” said member Lisa Wei, a second-year biomedical sciences student and SAAVE member.
Few MLAs express support
According to SAAVE, only two MLAs — Lacombe-Ponoka representative Jennifer Johnson and Calgary-Lougheed representative Eric Bouchard, both of the UCP — expressed support, but only for the behind-the-counter requirement. Four MLAs told SAAVE they were explicitly opposed to the suggested changes, while 40 per cent did not respond and 51 per cent did not state a position.
In a statement to Postmedia, LaGrange’s office argued the province has taken a balanced approach to regulating vaping and e-cigarettes, noting the government released a new Tobacco and Vaping Reduction Strategy last January. The strategy includes the creation of a provincial committee, which will include youth representatives.
“We acknowledge statements from SAAVE regarding the harms of vaping products, along with their advocacy to restrict the flavours of those products, ban the sale of single-use vapes and place vaping devices behind pharmacy counters,” said LaGrange’s press secretary, Jessi Rampton.
“We heard from former smokers that the availability of flavoured vaping products assisted them in quitting. However, we also heard that these flavours may attract youth to use vaping products. As such, we have chosen a balanced approach that will protect youth from vaping products while supporting adults who wish to use them to reduce or quit smoking.”
Arguments for, against banning flavoured vaping products
SAAVE’s members attribute this increase to the assortment of fruity flavours that can often entice young people to try vaping. “We know that every day, more and more young people are getting addicted to nicotine through vaping,” said Denniela Jean Belen, a second-year biomedical sciences student.
A ban on flavoured vaping products has some precedence in Canada — Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have implemented such policies.
The federal government also promised in 2021 to ban flavoured vape products countrywide, though has not yet done so. At a news conference earlier this month, a coalition of Canada’s major tobacco control agencies condemned the continued delay, and called on federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks to either finalize the ban or to step down so someone else could follow through.
The Canadian Vaping Association, which represents the vaping industry, argues that banning flavoured vaping products would drive more than one million adult users back to smoking cigarettes — which they argue are a more harmful way to consume nicotine.
And banning a highly regulated, in-demand product would only help fuel the illicit market, according to the association’s president, Sam Tam, who argued that flavour is the most important component of why someone who smokes cigarettes would switch to vaping.
“It’s not because they enjoy the taste of an ashtray; it’s because they’re addicted to the nicotine,” he said. “It’s important to understand people in this position have an addiction, and if you give them a product that tastes much better, it’s an easier transition for them away from smoking.”
Rather than prohibiting flavoured products, Tam argued the most effective strategy to curb youth access to e-cigarettes is by enforcing existing regulations, imposing substantial fines and suspending licences for non-compliant businesses.
“When it comes to youth protection, we all agree we don’t want youth to vape,” he said.
— With files from Jackie Carmichael