Vaping limits a good first step

P.E.I.’s proposed changes to the minimum age for vaping and smoking to 21 are sending a strong message that the health of our youth cannot be taken for granted.

The proposed changes to amend the Tobacco and Electronic Smoking Device Sales and Access Act are the result of a private member’s bill introduced last week by Progressive Conservative MLA Cory Deagle. On Tuesday, the bill unanimously passed second reading in the legislative assembly, and is positioned for a third and final reading before receiving royal assent. If it goes through all the remaining hoops successfully, P.E.I. would be the first province to raise the legal vaping and smoking minimum age from 19 to 21. The legislation would also ban the sale of some flavouring agents and limit the sale of electronic smoking devices to tobacco shops.

South of the border, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that 42 deaths in 24 states and 2,172 cases of lung injury related to e-cigarette and vaping use have occurred. These incidents have grabbed national headlines, especially the story of a 17-year-old Detroit resident who required a double lung transplant due to the damage caused by vaping.

The American Medical Association is calling for a total ban on vaping and e-cigarette products.

In Canada, we’re nowhere near the number of illnesses related to vaping or e-cigarettes in the U.S. And, at this point, the factors involved in the U.S. incidents are not altogether known as they are still being investigated.

But we don’t need to wait for all the fine details to know that these products are harmful and need to be restricted. In Canada, we’re already starting to see vaping-related illnesses, so now is the time to take action before the issue gets out of control. In this respect, each province and territory should follow P.E.I.’s lead and adopt similar changes.

On the Island, vaping and e-cigarette use by school kids is already an issue. In one instance, Deagle says he has heard from staff at Montague Regional High School that nearly two-thirds of students use these products.

Of course, legislation is only as strong as its enforcement. Store owners and staff need to be diligent and make sure these products don’t fall into the wrong hands. If so, they should face the fines already in place under existing legislation.

The changes to P.E.I.’s legislation are a good first step. But if they fail to keep these harmful products out of the hands of kids, then an outright ban needs to be the next step.

When we’re dealing with the health of our youth, the stakes are too high to ignore any longer.