Canada: Vaping Stabilizes and Youth Smoking Declines

According to the 2020 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey conducted by Statistics Canada, approximately one in seven young Canadians aged 15 to 24 reported vaping regularly during the year, a level slightly lower than data collected in 2019.

The 2020 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey[1] was conducted among more than 8,000 Canadians aged 15 and over, between December 2020 and January 2021. This second edition of the survey focused on the types of products consumed, the frequency and the reasons for this consumption, particularly for vaping products.

In 2019, 15% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 reported vaping in the 30 days preceding the survey. This rate is 14% in 2020, a slight decrease. A previous study[2] A study led by Professor David Hammond of the University of Waterloo and published on May 4, 2020 in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics) showed that the proportion of vapers in this age group doubled over a two-year period, from 2017 to 2019. According to the researcher, these latest figures appear to indicate a slowdown in the sharp increase in the use of vaping products among young people. This decline could be explained by stricter regulations, a growing awareness of health risks and lifestyle changes linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Primarily recreational use of vaping products among young people

The results show that generational differences in vaping product use still exist. The researchers found that 13.5% of adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 reported vaping in the month prior to the survey. In contrast, the data show that only 3.1% of adults aged 25 and older reported using e-cigarettes in the previous month.

The reasons cited by young Canadians aged 15 to 19 for using vaping products are primarily recreational (53% of them) and to reduce stress (23%). Among young adults aged 20 to 24, the proportion of those who report vaping to reduce stress is 24%, the same as that for recreational purposes (24%). 22% mention vaping with a view to quitting smoking. Canadians aged 25 and over, for their part, report vaping to reduce their tobacco consumption or to quit smoking (53%).

According to Les Hagen, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, the federal government must redouble its efforts to combat youth vaping, because even though rates appear to be stabilizing, they remain too high. More than 400,000 young people still vape across the country. Many provinces have implemented anti-vaping regulations at their level. These include increasing taxes on products, restricting the sale of flavors, and reducing nicotine content.

Fewer teenagers and young adults are smoking cigarettes

Smoking prevalence decreased overall compared to 2019, according to the study. Young adults aged 20 to 24 saw the largest decline, with 81% reporting being smokers in 2020, compared to 131% the previous year. Among 15- to 19-year-olds, only 31% reported being regular smokers in 2020, compared to 51% in 2019. Canadians aged 25 and older, meanwhile, reported being smokers in 2020, compared to 121% in 2019.

Canada is recognized as a world leader in the fight against tobacco use. Several municipalities have preempted provincial laws and have already restricted or completely banned smoking in public places within their jurisdictions.[3]. With this rapid decline in smoking among young people, Canada is firmly approaching a first generation of non-smokers by 2035 announced in the federal strategy Canadian Tobacco Control in May 2018.