Quebec: high consumption of electronic cigarettes among non-smoking adolescents

Supported by recent data published by Statistics Canada, several Quebec health groups reveal an analysis on the health consequences of vaping. They warn in particular of the risks of addiction among adolescents.

Grouped under the aegis of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control (CQCT), researchers obtained data from the Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada[1], in which 7,350 respondents in the French-speaking province of Quebec participated. Their observation is clear: since the over-the-counter sale of vaping products containing nicotine, the proportion of non-smoking Quebecers who consume them has increased by 1,11% between 2017 and 2021.

Teenagers as the target audience

Public particularly affected by the vaping industry: adolescents. According to figures obtained by the CQCT, 86% of non-smokers who start using e-cigarettes are aged 12 to 24. Over the period 2017-2021 in Quebec, 100,810 non-smokers of tobacco in this age group started using e-cigarettes. According to Statistics Canada, these figures are four times higher among 12-24 year-olds than among people over 25.

"The data is clear. The marketing of electronic cigarettes has caused more harm than benefit and it is adolescents and young adults who are the big losers," explains Flory Doucas, spokesperson for the CQCT in a press release.[2]. In fact, between 2017 and 2021, for every four additional former smokers who vape, there are five additional vapers who were not smokers. "This is why, according to her, Quebec ends up with 100,810 young vapers, without them having been smokers before," states the Coalition's press release.

The CQCT also attacks the arguments of e-cigarette advocates that it is an effective product to help people quit smoking. According to several indicators present in the analysis, e-cigarettes have an almost marginal impact on the smoking cessation rate. 91% of 12-24 year-old smokers state in particular that vaping does not allow them to quit smoking.

The vaping industry in the sights of the Quebec government

These revelations from the CQCT come in a context of political tensions related to the electronic cigarette industry in Quebec. They follow the investigation by the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ) in October 2022 on the consumption of vaping products in 2020[3]. The institute revealed that the prevalence of vaping was significantly higher among adolescents (18%) than among those aged 25 and over (2%). In terms of nicotine, the study shows that 43% of vapers consume liquids with a nicotine concentration exceeding 20mg/ml, with a peak of 63% among those aged 15-24.

Faced with these figures, the Quebec government decided to act. As early as December 2022, it had already cracked down on vaping products by announcing that they would double their tax starting in the fall of 2023. At the beginning of March 2023, a draft ban on flavours was submitted to the Minister of Health, which is expected to be adopted in the coming weeks.[4]. Such a measure was already taken in Nova Scotia in 2020 with success.[5].

Keywords: Quebec, Vaping, Adolescents, Study, Health, Electronic Cigarettes.

©Tobacco Free Generation

HD

[1] Canadian Community Health Survey, Statistics Canada, 2023, accessed March 21, 2023

[2] Press release, New statistics show young people are the biggest losers from the over-the-counter sale of flavored vaping products, Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, published March 20, 2023, consulted March 21, 2023

[3] Vaping among Quebecers: data from the 2020 Quebec Survey on Tobacco and Vaping Products, INSPQ, October 2022

[4] Quebec plans to ban flavors in vaping products, Tobacco Free Generation, published on March 8, 2023

[5] Evolution of Smoking in Nova Scotia, Statistics Canada, published March 13, 2023, accessed March 21, 2023