The Canadian Paediatric Society is calling for a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sounded the alarm on a rise in teen vaping, describing it as an "epidemic."
The number of U.S. high school students who say they've used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days is 78 per cent higher this year than last year, according to the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey, a joint study by the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For younger students in middle school, the increase was almost 50 per cent.
It all adds up to more than 3.6 million American minors using e-cigarettes in 2018 — 1.5 million more than in 2017, the FDA says.
Like their Canadian colleagues, American pediatricians wanted a total ban on flavoured e-cigarettes. They were disappointed when, despite Gottlieb's dramatic remarks, the FDA didn't issue one.
"Flavours are really among the most compelling reasons that kids use these things. There have been some really robust studies," said Dr. Rachel Boykan, a pediatrician in Stony Brook, N.Y., and member of the academy's tobacco control executive committee.
So will Health Canada, which previously banned menthol cigarettes in an effort to curb tobacco use among youth, heed the call from pediatricians when it comes to e-cigarette flavours?
In short, no.
"While Canada and the U.S. have both recently regulated the vaping marketplace, the situation is not the same in the two countries," Health Canada spokesperson Maryse Durette said in an email.
Health Canada bans "the promotion of flavours that may be appealing to youth, such as candy and dessert flavours," Durette said.
But it will not ban the flavours themselves, she said. And it won't implement restrictions on where those flavours can actually be sold, as the U.S. did. In addition to dedicated vaping stores, the products are available in Canadian gas stations and convenience stores.
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