Advertisement and Promotion of Vaping Products to Youth

Vaping is the act of inhaling or exhaling an aerosol produced by a vaping product, such as an electronic cigarette. Vaping does not require burning like cigarette smoking. The device heats a liquid into a vapor, which then turns to aerosol. This vapor is often flavored and can contain nicotine.

Health advocates have raised concerns regarding rising rates of youth vaping. Health Canada states that:

There is substantial evidence that e-cigarette (a type of vaping product) use results in symptoms of dependence;
There is substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of ever using combustible tobacco cigarettes among youth and young adults; and,
Children and youth are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of nicotine, including addiction. They may become dependent on nicotine with lower levels of exposure than adults.

The University of Waterloo notes that the percentage of Albertans who are smokers has been steadily declining since 1999, from 26% in 1999 to 16% in 2015. Given that Health Canada notes that there is substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases risk of ever using combustible tobacco cigarettes, and that vaping rates are quickly increasing, vaping poses a threat to the progress made on preventing teen nicotine addiction.

The 2016-17 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, administered to Canadians between grades 7 and 12 indicates that:

The number of Alberta high school students who admit to vaping almost tripled between 2015 and 2017, from 8% to 22%;
15% of Canadian students in grades 10-12 used a vaping product in the past 30 days, up from 9% in 2014-15; and
53% of Canadian students in grades 7-12 responded it would be “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get a vaping product such as e-cigarettes if they wanted to.

The Conference Board of Canada notes that in 2012, tobacco use resulted in $6.5 billion in direct healthcare costs, and 45,464 deaths were attributable to smoking in Canada.

At the time of development of this resolution (April 2019), the Government of Canada is considering new regulations through the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act for vaping products that would restrict the advertisement of products by limiting the locations where advertisements can be placed and the display of vaping products in certain retail locations; limiting the content in advertisements; and informing the public through a health warning on advertisements. These changes would ensure vaping advertising is treated similarly to tobacco advertising. Whether these will be adopted or not, and a timeline for implementation is not known at this time. There are no known FCM resolutions on this topic.

As there is no timeline on implementation of federal legislation, because of the dramatic increase in youth vaping in Alberta, and that all provinces other than Alberta and Saskatchewan regulate e-cigarette use and restrict the promotion and advertisement of vaping products, the City of St. Albert believes this topic is provincial in scope. In Alberta, vaping advertisements are not restricted, and are on display in locations that youth frequent, unlike tobacco products. This includes at the checkout at convenience stores, and outside the store near schools. The Government of Alberta has an opportunity to be nimble and address this rising issue quickly and effectively.

In the event the Government of Canada has established a timeline for implementation, or implemented nation-wide vaping regulations come Fall 2019, this resolution may no longer be required. Alternatively, there may be gaps in the federal regulations that the Alberta Government can address through amendments to the Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act.

There is also little precedent for municipal regulation of product advertisement in Alberta, with most examples of product regulation existing at the provincial and federal orders of government. Changes to the Alberta Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act to regulate the advertisement of vaping products in a similar manner to that of tobacco would effectively eliminate the kind of advertising and promotion that targets young people, and should help to reverse the trend of rising rates of youth vaping in Alberta.

There are no active or historical AUMA resolutions related to vaping.

References

Conference Board of Canada. (2017, October). The Costs of Tobacco Use in Canada, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/documents/services/publications/healthy-living/costs-tobacco-use-canada- 2012/Costs-of-Tobacco-Use-in-Canada-2012-eng.pdf.

Government of Canada. (2018, June 12). Detailed tables for the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey 2016-17. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health canada/services/canadian-student-tobacco-alcohol-drugs-survey/2016-2017 supplementary-tables.html

Health Canada. (2019, March 13). Risks of vaping. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/vaping/risks.html 

University of Waterloo. (n.d.) Tobacco use in Canada: Alberta. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/tobacco-use-canada/adult-tobacco-use/smoking-provinces/alberta