Statistics Canada: Nearly Half of Young Adults Have Tried E-Cigarettes

Nearly half of young adults aged 20 to 24 and about one-third of teenagers aged 15 to 19 in Canada reported that they have tried e-cigarettes at least once.

According to the latest data released by Statistics Canada on September 11 from the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS), nearly half of young adults aged 20 to 24 and about one-third of teenagers aged 15 to 19 reported that they have tried e-cigarettes at least once. 

New regulations bring changes to the e-cigarette market 

Just three months ago, new reporting requirements for retailers and manufacturers were approved in Canada, bringing order to an industry previously referred to as the "Wild West." These regulations require companies to submit semi-annual sales data and ingredient lists to Health Canada, with the first report due by the end of this year. The main goal is to better understand the popularity of e-cigarette products, especially among youth, and to identify the specific ingredients inhaled by users. 

Additionally, provinces have also taken action, with Quebec planning to ban the sale of flavored pods on October 31. According to the province's regulations, only e-cigarette pods that taste like tobacco or are unflavored can be sold in Quebec, a move that has angered the e-cigarette industry but has been welcomed by anti-smoking advocates. 

As of September, six provinces and territories have banned or plan to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarette pods: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec (effective October 31). 

Furthermore, Ontario, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan have implemented regulations allowing only specialized e-cigarette stores to sell flavored e-cigarette e-liquids, which minors cannot access. 

Protecting health becomes a top priority 

Rob Cunningham from the Canadian Cancer Society is advocating for better research, healthcare, and protection at the federal level, stating that the federal government needs to take action to implement the draft regulations proposed by Health Canada in 2021, which would restrict all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco, menthol, and mint nationwide. 

In an interview with Global News, he said:

“E-cigarettes are highly addictive. They are harmful to health. We don’t even know the full long-term harms.” 

Darryl Tempest, government relations legal advisor for the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA), countered that targeting flavors could cause more harm, as many adults who use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool often prefer flavored options.

He stated:

“This is not about morality; it’s about harm reduction. This point has been overlooked.” 

Despite e-cigarette products still having other flavors like menthol and mint, Tempest compared the variety of flavors to flavored alcoholic beverages but pointed out that the government has not made efforts to ban these products.