Campaign in B.C. schools aims to educate students on risks of vaping
Canada has some of the highest teen vaping rates in the world, says Health Canada data
A new campaign in B.C. schools aims to educate students about the adverse effects of vaping.
The Ministry of Health says posters, signage, and pamphlets will be distributed to schools later this month with information about the risks associated with vaping and resources for those who want to quit.
Recent Health Canada data shows that the number of Canadian teenagers regularly using e-cigarettes ranks among the highest in the world.
Colette Lees, a substance use liaison in the Surrey school district, says the campaign is "absolutely necessary."
"I haven't seen things getting any better in the last couple of years," Lees said Wednesday on CBC's The Early Edition.
Lees says she has noticed students as young as Grade 5 using vapes. She says she has also seen students say they no longer have control over vaping and ask for resources to help them quit.
"I think oftentimes they start with the belief that if ... they want to quit that it will be easy to do that, and unfortunately that's not what happens," said Lees.
Vaping products contain chemicals that can cause lung damage, according to the health ministry. They can also contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can alter brain development and reduce impulse control, among other side effects.
Easy access and marketing tactics
Advocates have called on the federal government to ban or restrict flavoured vapes, saying they are helping drive the rise in vape use among teens.
Lees says although it is illegal to sell or provide vaping products to anyone under the age of 18, many kids are able to purchase vapes from certain shops or from older students or adults.
And with sweet flavours and colourful packaging — some with cartoon character designs on them — Lees says some vapes are marketed toward youth.
"[There is] just this notion that vaping is some sort of health alternative to smoking, that it's healthier," said Lees. "It smells like strawberries so it can't be that bad for you."
Lees recommends parents have an open conversation with their children about vaping.
With files from Adam Miller and The Early Edition