Advocates call for increased efforts to curb youth vaping
Rate of young Nova Scotians vaping among the highest in Canada
Rob MacDonald wants to prevent history from repeating itself and he wants the Nova Scotia government to play a larger role in that effort.
He and other health advocates are again raising the alarm about youth vaping and the need for enhanced efforts to lower the rates and prevent young people from trying the products in the first place.
"We continue to have major, major concerns about seeing what happened 50 years ago when it came to tobacco, happening again right in front of our eyes with vaping and our youth getting addicted to the product," MacDonald, president and CEO of Lung N.S./P.E.I. said in a recent interview.
Opportunity that can't be missed
Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, said a comprehensive government approach should include enhanced enforcement and more cessation and prevention programs.
Cunningham said the government could help fund those efforts by using some of the hundreds of millions of dollars it will receive through a recent settlement with tobacco companies. Nova Scotia's share included an upfront payment of about $200 million, with another $600 million coming over the next 15-20 years.
"This is an opportunity that cannot be missed to reduce health effects, disease and also health-care costs," he said in an interview.
"So it's a win-win for the province if it's done."
WATCH | Advocates push for efforts to minimize youth vaping rates
The 2021-22 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs survey, which has the most recent provincial data, showed 39 per cent of Nova Scotia students in grades 10-12 vaped, well above the national average of 24 per cent.
While the organization's survey for the 2023-24 school year shows the national average decreasing for grades 10-12 to 22 per cent, there has been an increase specifically among Grade 12 students (27 per cent, up from 25 per cent in the previous survey).
Although provincial breakdowns for the 2023-24 survey have yet to be provided, MacDonald said the conversations his organization has had with officials during school visits indicate higher numbers.
"We heard messaging from people within the school system raising the white flag, saying, 'We need help, it's an epidemic in schools.'"
Cunningham and MacDonald and their respective organizations are also advocating for the government to raise the minimum age required to purchase tobacco and vape products to 21 from 19, and restrict the sale of vape products to specialty shops.
P.E.I. raised the age of majority to 21 six years ago. Newfoundland and Labrador is having the same conversation, and 30 U.S. states also use the higher age requirement, said Cunningham.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said data is still being collected on the effectiveness of increasing the age to purchase.
He said restricting sales to specialty shops could drive more people to the internet, but he also said youth vaping is a problem that needs more attention.
Strang said vaping has introduced another "highly addictive form of intake of nicotine" for young people. That presents two risks, he said.
"One is they can transition into smoking, and we're seeing some evidence of that — perhaps early signs of reversal of our progress we've made in decreasing youth smoking rates," he said.
There is also emerging evidence that young people who have never smoked but have vaped are developing vaping-specific lung damage, said Strang.
"And this is only within a few years of using the product," he said.
"There's a myth out there that vaping is safe. It is not."
'More work is needed'
A statement attributed to Health Minister Michelle Thompson said officials are reviewing research related to increasing the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products.
It said the government is reaching young people through an anti-vaping campaign on social media platforms and future campaigns are planned.
"The rates of youth vaping in our province are simply too high. We recognize that, and we know that more work is needed to reduce the rates of smoking and vaping by youth," Thompson said in the statement.
"We know that behaviour change takes time, and this is a serious issue we are committed to continue to address through all avenues available."
The statement did not address calls to dedicate tobacco settlement money toward efforts to combat youth vaping rates. Thompson has previously said the money would go into general revenue and be used toward health-care initiatives, but provided no other specifics.
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