TOUGHER E-CIG RULES ARE NEEDED

In many spots in Saskatchewan, kids can walk up to a store counter and see e-cigarettes on display along with candy and pop. This product, which uses nicotine salts, comes in a variety of cool flavours like mango and cucumber. Common sense says sweetening these products will entice young users, and introduce them to a potentially addictive habit.

This is a scenario that should not be possible. It is just one of the issues the Saskatchewan government needs to tackle to bring its tobacco legislation in line with present day concerns.

Saskatchewan’s record on tobacco use — particularly among young people — is nothing short of shameful.

In late October, the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey reported that 22 per cent of Saskatchewan teens aged 15-19 are smoking. The national rate for teens this age is eight per cent.

It is time to tackle this issue head-on, with a revised provincial tobacco strategy and an immediate ban on e-cigarettes that corresponds with that applying to other tobacco products.

Times have changed, bringing with them new means of nicotine delivery. E-cigarettes, in many cases, look like USB sticks and can even be charged in any port.

While some argue e-cigarettes and vaping are less dangerous than cigarettes, others like Pasiechnik are urging caution.

“These products are relatively new to the market,” she said. “So we don’t truly know what the long-term impacts … are.”

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has declared war on e-cigarettes as a threat to youth.

Earlier in 2018, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a statement on increased enforcement. “The troubling reality is that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes have become wildly popular with kids. We understand, by all accounts, many of them may be using products that closely resemble a USB flash drive, have high levels of nicotine and emissions that are hard to see. These characteristics may facilitate youth use, by making the products more attractive to children and teens.”

At one time, Saskatchewan was a leader in the presentation of smoking products in stores. In 2002, the province was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban store displays of tobacco. Now, it lags behind the rest of the country on many fronts in the war on cancer-causing products.

Saskatchewan has not banned flavoured tobacco, as eight other provinces have done. Nine other provinces had prohibited the use of e-cigarettes where smoking is banned. Smoking is still allowed on patios, hospital grounds and playgrounds — something polling has shown there is support to limit.

Currently, there is no real record of who sells tobacco products in Saskatchewan, as there is no retail licence requirement. This is something 11 other provinces and territories have in place. Even a moderate fee connected to licensing seems to be a practical way to raise funds to put toward preventative education efforts. Cannabis retailers, in contrast, pay a $2,000 provincial permit fee and are subject to a background check.

Money spent on preventative programs is really an investment that will pay off in reduced health care spending down the line. According to the most recent numbers provided by the Canadian Cancer Society, the province incurs at least $167.6 million each year in direct health care costs due to smoking.

The provincial government has passed important legislation this year on other social issues that have been plaguing Saskatchewan for years, including drinking and driving and domestic violence. It is now time to put legislative time and preventative money into curbing tobacco use in Saskatchewan.