Tackling an epidemic
MLAs unanimously vote to increase the minimum age of smoking and vaping from 19 to 21
P.E.I. is set to become the first province in Canada to increase the minimum age for vaping and smoking to 21.
Flanked by the entire Kings County Kings Midget Triple A boys hockey team, who packed the gallery of the Coles Building on Tuesday night, MLAs unanimously voted to increase the minimum age of smoking and vaping from 19 to 21 and to ban the sale of some flavouring agents.
The provisions were part of a private members bill introduced last week by Progressive Conservative backbencher Cory Deagle, who at 27, is the youngest MLA currently sitting in the legislature. Deagle said he introduced the bill after witnessing the effects of vaping while coaching youth hockey in his district of Montague-Kilmuir. It was members of his team who packed the gallery of the legislature.
Deagle’s bill also limits the sale of electronic smoking devices to tobacco shops.
Other provinces have introduced other measures to limit the sale of vaping products to youth. Last week, British Columbia passed legislation that would limit the amount of nicotine in vaping pods and liquids and would increase taxes on these products by 13 per cent.
Like the B.C. legislation, Deagle said his bill was intended to slow down the increasing use of vaping products among teens and young adults.
He said he has seen a drastic increase in youth vaping in his district of Montague-Kilmuir.
“I think we could probably all agree it’s an epidemic,” Deagle said of youth vaping.
Deagle said vaping products have been aggressively marketed to teens in methods that have often suggested that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking.
“There is potentially over 2,000 flavours on the market such as cotton candy, skittles, birthday cake and soda,” Deagle told the legislature on Tuesday.
Last week, Deagle told The Guardian that staff at Montague Regional High School believe as many as two-thirds of the student population is currently vaping. Nicotine concentration in these products is often far higher than the amounts seen in cigarettes.
Kelly Cull, regional director of the Canadian Cancer Society spoke before the bill on Tuesday. She told MLAs the issue has gone beyond what could easily be tackled by education campaigns.
“Culture eats education for breakfast. And right now, here in this province, what we have is a vaping culture in our high school environment,” Cull said.
“The question then becomes how do we change culture. And we change culture through policy.”
In an interview, Cull said increasing the minimum age for vaping would be an effective deterrent for teens obtaining access to vaping products.
“The majority of people who are underage access these products from what we call a social source – that is a sibling or friend or someone who is of legal age who can access these products for them,” Cull said.
“So what 21 does is really take that legal purchaser out of the social circle.”
For his part, Deagle said he was pleased to see support for the bill from all parties in the legislature.
“It was extremely positive to see everyone from all sides support this,” Deagle said.