NDP Health Critic France Gélinas says “Vaping is not for Kids" and so is reintroducing a bill aiming to limit sales of vaping products.
"Studies are showing that more and more youths are taking up vaping in high school," said Gélinas. "A recent study from Western University had the alarming findings that over a quarter of high school aged kids in Canada vape. These kids are at risk of developing nicotine addictions and having long-term harm done to their lungs."
She says the government is failing to protect our kids and is leaving Ontario's youth in a position of possible lasting damage to their health.
On April 19, Quebec announced that it will be banning flavoured vaping product sales. Quebec's new vaping regulations also limit sales of vaping products geared towards youth with animal, characters, food and toy shapes.
"Research is showing that vaping is not harmless. It can lead to permanent lung damage in our kids. Other jurisdictions are acting. Why is it that Ontario is abandoning kids to the predatory vaping industry and leaving the next generation with preventable lung damage and nicotine addictions?" asked Gélinas.
Gélinas’ bill sets up firm obligations on the Ministry of Health to prevent Ontario youth from picking up vaping and becoming addicted to nicotine. It would prohibit the promotion of vaping products, restrict sales to specialty shops, bump the minimal legal age to 21, require Ontario Health to prepare an annual report on vaping usage and its health effects and set tax money aside for research and health promotion. This bill would also ban online sales of vaping products.
" A quarter of high school kids are vaping, this is far too many, and it is time for Ontario to support and protect our kids" said Gélinas.
“It took decades for us to learn the health effects of smoking," says Dr. Atul Kapur, Executive Director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada "We are now at the same early stages with vaping. If we are going to learn the lessons from smoking, we need to be more cautious in how we allow these products to be marketed."
