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It's been a year since we had Interior Health's Tobacco Reduction Coordinator in for an interview. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of positive progress to report. New studies are heightening concerns about adverse health effects, more young teens are vaping, and the devices are getting easier than ever to conceal. And while proponents extol the relative safety of vaping to smoking, there's this. Smoking rates among young people are also increasing.
"Sadly the problem is a little bit more worrisome," "British Columbia used to hold the title of the lowest smoking rate in Canada. We are now at position number 5."
Then there's the item you see below. The Juul looks like a USB stick. Sidenberg calls it a "game changer'. So if a parent finds this, it might not be for importing data, it may for importing nicotine.
"Are parents recognizing that this is a device that has nicotine in it?" asks Sidenberg. And it's so small, kids can sometimes get away with using them almost anywhere.
"In schools, in classrooms they're able to basically 'stealth vape' to hide it and take hits from it," she said. And these products typically contain nicotine. "The big question is how much nicotine they're taking in."
"They're getting such a direct hit. And they call it a hit, like I'm getting a really big hit," she said it can leave kids dizzy and nauseous after using it. Meanwhile, there is new evidence emerging about harm from some of the chemicals used in the flavourings. "lungs are being irritated, so even that is not a good thing," said Sidenberg.
She ended the interview with this advice for young people. "If you don't smoke, don't start vaping thinking it's a better thing to do or a good place to start because it may become this vicious cycle and lead you into tobacco or other products."
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