Ottawa, ON – Heart & Stroke is pleased that Health Minister Patty Hajdu has announced a consultation on a proposal to limit nicotine concentrations in vaping products in response to high youth vaping rates and the associated dangers to their health.
“Nicotine is highly addictive and damages developing brains,” says Dr. Andrew Pipe, board member, Heart & Stroke. “Many products used by youth have high concentrations of nicotine – as much as an entire package of cigarettes. Limiting the amount of this incredibly harmful substance is an important step towards protecting youth.”
Health Canada is proposing to lower the nicotine concentration to a maximum of 20 mg/mL and prohibit the sale of any vaping products that exceed this new limit.
A recent Heart & Stroke funded study revealed that two-thirds of young people are using vapes with 50–60mg/mL of nicotine, the highest levels currently available on the market. Several provinces have already announced or implemented nicotine content limits.
Youth vaping has skyrocketed in the last few years. One-fifth of grades 7 – 12 students in Canada vape and 34% report having ever tried an e-cigarette.
“We also urge Health Canada to move quickly on other important measures to address the youth vaping crisis including comprehensively restricting flavours and increasing taxation,” says Dr. Pipe.
The 75-day public consultation opens on December 19, 2020.
About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why we need to beat youth vaping and why Heart & Stroke leads the fight against heart disease and stroke. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.
Contact Information
Stephanie Lawrence
Stephanie.lawrence@heartandstroke.ca
613 290 4236
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2020/2020-12-19/html/reg3-eng.html