Alberta physicians calling for changes to proposed smoking and vaping legislation

“It’s a start, it’s a bare minimum of what is needed to reduce the ability for these companies to advertise their products to children and adolescents, and to better restrict sales in vape stores and convenience stores,” says Ewing. “But even with those changes, vape products are still very appealing to children and adolescents for a number of reasons. There is a wide variety of appealing flavours such as fruits, candy, dessert flavours, as well as being able to contain a very high concentration of nicotine.”

Even with very minimal use, Ewing says children and youth are susceptible to the addictive properties of nicotine. He says it’s also important to note the current lack of research evidence suggesting that vaping helps people quit the habit.

“No vaping product has actually been approved as a smoking cessation aid because the evidence hasn’t supported that it actually works,” he explains. “There is actually a significant amount of evidence that would suggest the opposite. The prevalence of smoking in Alberta is as low as three per cent and we’re seeing in the literature that youth vaping actually increases that those adolescents will go on to become a smoker by 8.5 times.”

Emily Downey is a third-year University of Calgary Health Sciences student from Red Deer and a member of Stop Addicting Adolescents to Vaping and E-Cigarettes (SAAVE). She says amending the bill to ban flavours and reduce nicotine concentration levels, would have a far greater impact on achieving its intended goal than what is currently written.

“It (vaping) provides them a gentle first experience, which is not great because we know that there are harmful contents in vapes,” she exclaims. “So having that gentle first experience is kind of encouraging the use of vapes and e-cigarettes in this vulnerable population. The other thing that vaping flavours has done, is it deceives the youth because it makes them think that it isn’t harmful. It tastes good, so therefore it can’t be that bad for me.”

Downey hopes the government is willing to listen and make what SAAVE and the group of doctors feel are much-needed changes to the bill as it approaches third and final reading.

“We are very worried and this is why we are reaching out. The MLAs who are reading this bill have a moral obligation to care for children and youth, and it seems they are not representing these interests and are having a conflict of interest between what the UCP is instructing them to do and what they know is right for Alberta children and youth.”

If passed, government officials say Bill 19 would introduce a minimum age of 18 years and older to purchase, possess, or consume vaping products, restrict advertising and promotion of vaping products in convenience stores and gas stations, and align and expand where vaping and tobacco products cannot be used in hopes of reducing confusion for the public and law enforcement.

The bill would also limit where vaping products can be sold to align with tobacco restrictions, establish the authority to consider restrictions on flavoured vape in the future, if needed, and introduce fines for vaping violations.

According to provincial officials, teen vaping rates rose to 30 per cent in 2018-2019, among students in grades 10-12.

Alberta is currently the only province in Canada without vaping legislation.

by Sheldon Spackman

Alberta physicians calling for changes to proposed smoking and vaping legislation

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