Canada has one of the world's highest youth vaping rates, experts urge flavour ban

Canada has one of the highest daily vaping rates among youth in the world, and a group of Toronto medical students and policy experts are urging the federal government to ban flavoured vaping products.

University of Toronto third-year medical students Salar Farokhi Boroujeni, Shavez Khan, and Rushil Dave published an opinion piece warning that youth vaping has become a public health crisis. According to a 2021 poll led by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 48 per cent of young adults aged 20–24 and 29 per cent of youth aged 15–19 reported trying e-cigarettes. The rate of those who vape daily grew from 44 per cent in 2019 to 55 per cent in 2021.

Advocates say flavoured vaping products are a key driver of youth uptake because they make nicotine more appealing and can reduce perceptions of harm. Forem Patel, a Senior Policy Specialist at Heart and Stroke Foundation, explained that smoking rates among youth had been falling for decades after public health advocacy, but vaping reversed that trend.

Nicotine exposure during adolescence can affect parts of the brain responsible for mood, impulse control, learning, and concentration—skills especially important when teens are in school. The brain continues developing into people's mid-20s, making youth more susceptible to addiction than older adults. Once symptoms of addiction appear, it can be extremely difficult to stop. Nicotine has also been linked to weakened immunity, oral health issues, and cardiovascular disease risk.

Several provinces and territories have already restricted flavoured vaping products, but advocates are urging a nationwide ban. Experts also stress the need for stronger public education campaigns to help young people understand the health risks associated with vaping.