Collaboration the key to halt youth vaping

Re Don’t lure kids into vaping, Editorial, June 26

Smoking kills. In Canada, 45,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses annually and, according to research from the University of Toronto, it takes a smoker 30 attempts before they quit. Health Canada says “Vaping is less harmful than smoking” and the growing body of global scientific research has struck a similar position. Providing adult smokers with access to less-harmful alternatives — like Juul and other vapour products — can help address the harm cigarettes continue to cause.

Youth use of vapour products, including Juul products, is completely unacceptable to us and must be addressed. We also know vapour products are important switching tools for adult smokers.

Our marketing code ensures we don’t target youth with any advertising. We have included a voluntary “skull and crossbones” warning pictogram on all products sold in Canada and we adhere to Health Canada and provincial regulations governing advertising for products that contain nicotine.

It is, however, important to consider that point-of-sale advertising for vaping products is a means of informing current smokers and helping them make informed purchasing choices. We strongly support the limitation of point-ofsale advertising to remove any bright colours and/or features that could appeal to youth, but do not support a blanket prohibition on pointof-sale advertising because doing so could have significant consequences in reducing switching rates amongst current adult smokers.

We believe it will take the industry and policy makers working together to solve this urgent problem of youth usage. The viability of the industry depends equally on getting our products into the hands of adult smokers while keeping it out of young peoples’ hands.

Michael Nederhoff, General manager, Juul Labs Canada