By Doug Roth
The federal government must finalize Canada’s long delayed vape flavour restrictions – a ready-made solution that has sat on the shelf for nearly five years – before more young people become addicted to nicotine.
Across the country, vaping has quietly worked its way into the lives of youth, becoming an everyday reality for many. In high schools, this often takes place in bathrooms, stairwells and hallways where students take a discreet moment to vape. In fact, vaping on school property is now the most reported substance use issue faced by administrators.
This points to a much bigger problem: Canada is facing a teen vaping crisis.
National youth vaping rates surged after e-cigarettes were legalized and regulated in 2018 and remain among the highest in the world, with more than one in four Grade 12 students and over one in five Grade 11 students vaping regularly.
These aren’t insignificant numbers; they signal a widespread epidemic that threatens decades of progress in smoking reduction in Canada. Youth vaping has been fueled by the industry’s aggressive marketing, attractive product design and appealing fruit and candy flavours. Among these factors, flavours play a key role in enticing young people to vape, while nicotine keeps them hooked.
Ottawa identified this problem years ago, but has allowed its own solution to stall.
Draft regulations to restrict vape flavours were introduced in June 2021, specifically to curb youth uptake. Nearly half a decade later, they still haven’t been implemented.
Last year, Canada’s top public health doctors cautioned that these restrictions looked increasingly unlikely to move forward. In the absence of action, flavoured vaping products have remained widely available, leaving youth at high risk of nicotine addiction.
That’s why Heart & Stroke is calling on the government to immediately finalize these cost-neutral regulations – a clear opportunity to show leadership and protect our country’s next generation.
Vaping is far from harmless, especially for youth. Dr. Andrew Pipe, one of Canada’s leading smoking cessation experts, warns that nicotine – the addictive ingredient in most vaping products – is among the most addictive substances available.
Nicotine harms adolescent brain development, affecting attention and impulse control and increasing the risk of future addiction to other drugs. Research also shows that vaping can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, even in teens, and has been linked to mental health challenges.
Six provinces and territories – Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut – have implemented comprehensive flavour restrictions. But regional measures alone cannot solve the problem when enforcement and access vary widely.
The result is uneven rules across Canada, with some regions implementing strong safeguards while others allow flavoured vaping products with few or no limits. Without national leadership, these disparities will persist, undermining provincial action and leaving youth vulnerable. Only a federal standard can ensure that every young Canadian is protected equally.
Five years of delay is five years too many. In that time, an entire cohort of youth has been drawn in by flavoured vaping products.
The evidence against vape flavours is overwhelming, and the harms are entirely preventable. Stopping nicotine addiction before it starts is one of the clearest ways to reduce future pressure on a health care system already under strain in every province and territory.
Importantly, finalizing these flavour restrictions would require no new public spending – a clear opportunity to prevent harm and ease long-term healthcare costs at the same time.
Those students sneaking a quick vape in school represent far more than a passing trend; they are the consequence of years of delay.
Taking decisive action today will protect youth, preserve decades of progress in tobacco control and reaffirm Canada’s commitment to public health.
The federal government must immediately finalize draft regulations to restrict vape flavours and close the policy gap that has allowed youth vaping to become further entrenched.
Doug Roth is CEO of Heart & Stroke.
Photo: iStock
