A number of new products containing nicotine have come on the market in recent years. Many are flavoured and are more or less marketed at young people as well as older smokers. These products include pellets made of finely ground tobacco with mint or cinnamon flavoring, e-cigarettes and various battery-powered devices. They are packed with nicotine, and studies have shown that they can poison children and lure young people to start using tobacco. As we know, nicotine is a highly additive substance. A 2017-18 study, led by Professor David Hammond of the University of Waterloo, found that among those 16-19 years old, vaping increased by a stunning 74% from 2017 to 2018, from 8.4% to 14.6%. In Canada and the US the use and sale to older adolescents and adults of e-cigarettes and vaping products is legal. In most cases, it requires the purchaser of such products to be at least 18 and does not permit buying them for anyone less than 18 years of age. However, it is evident that younger people are obtaining or are being exposed to these products.
This August, it was reported by American public health officials that a patient in Illinois was the first to die of a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping. The death occurred as doctors and hospitals nationwide report an increasing number of persons suffering vaping-related respiratory illnesses this summer, most of whom were adolescents or young adults. To date, 193 cases have now been reported in 22 states, including 22 cases in Illinois.
The companies argue that e-cigarettes and vaping devices using nicotine help exiting tobacco smokers to cut down on their smoking. However, we know that such products are also being marketed as safer than tobacco products, a selling feature which is attractive to youth. The recent outbreak in vaping related deaths and illnesses tends to support the concerns of health experts that these products contain other harmful ingredients besides nicotine, comprised of potential irritants including “ultrafine particulates” and some heavy metals such as lead. The health effects of long-term use are not currently known. We therefore need to study whether their use tends to lead young people to eventually become tobacco smokers.
The Canadian Cancer Society and American Cancer Society are calling for immediate government action to address a significant and troubling increase in youth vaping in both countries and recommend that every effort be made to prevent the initiation of e-cigarettes by youth. The American Cancer Society encourages the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate all such products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, to the full extent of its authority. It wants the FDA to determine the absolute and relative harms of each product, and to assess whether e-cigarettes really help to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Most importantly, both societies are asking governments for an extensive study of the impact of marketing of e-cigarettes on consumer perceptions and behaviour, especially among youth. It is now time that the companies marketing these products are fully held accountable by governments in both countries.
FROLITICKS 