Canada: Towards a generalization of tobacco-free campuses

In Canada, 95 of the 260 colleges and universities have already undertaken to make their campuses 100 % smoke-free, including outdoors, following the example of the United States where 2,400 campuses have achieved this objective.

Multiple advantages

Making 100 % campuses smoke-free allows us to: - protect the population from second-hand and third-hand smoke in these densely populated places, - discourage tobacco use among young people, - review existing tobacco policies at a time when cannabis is legalized[1], - to limit the amount of rubbish on sites as well as the cost of collecting it, - to take leadership in health matters within the community.

Some figures

Among these 95 pioneering institutions in Canada: - 71 (75%) prohibit the use of cannabis on their campuses, - 71 (75%) prohibit the use of tobacco products on their campuses, - 69 (73%) prohibit the use of water pipes (hookahs) on their campuses, - 83 (88%) prohibit vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes on their campuses.

All these steps obviously recall the ambition " Quebec without Tobacco 2025 "It should also be noted that the federal territory of Yukon has passed laws requiring all university and college campuses to be 100% smoke-free.

Vaping in Canada

A 2018-2019 survey found that 34% of students in grades seven through twelve had ever tried a vaping product. 20% reported using one in the past 30 days. 28% had ever tried an e-cigarette with nicotine, and 29% had used an e-cigarette without nicotine. 81% reported using an e-cigarette with nicotine, and 11% had used an e-cigarette without nicotine in the past 30 days. The majority of students who had tried a vaping product had also tried cigarettes. Finally, 54% of students thought it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get an e-cigarette with nicotine if they wanted one, and 58% of students thought it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get an e-cigarette without nicotine if they wanted one.[2]In Canada, vaping among young people increased from 8.4 % in 2017 to 17.8% in 2019, a fairly alarming increase of 112%. These figures must therefore be taken into account when defining actions taken with these subjects.

©Generation Without Tobacco

[1] As of March 11, 2020, 24 of the 39 establishments in Quebec had policies specifically addressing cannabis.

[2] https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-canada/services/tabagisme-et-tabac/vapotage/canada.html

“Universities and Colleges with 100% Smoke-Free Campuses in Canada – National Status Report,” Canadian Cancer Society, March 11, 2020 https://www.cancer.ca/~/media/cancer.ca/CW/get%20involved/take%20action/Universits%20et%20collges%20campus%20100%20p%20c%20sans%20fume%20rapport%202020%2003%2011.pdf?la=fr-CA

[i] "Canada: Young vapers have more than doubled in two years" https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/canada-jeunes-vapoteurs-ont-double-en-deux-ans/

[i] "Towards a tightening of vaping legislation in Canada" https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/durcissement-legislation-vapotage-canada

©DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |