Question Period Note: Youth Vaping ans Substance Use

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• Protecting the health and safety of youth is a top priority. Our Government is pleased to see that vaping rates among Canadian youth have stabilized, according to a recent survey.
• Nonetheless, we remain concerned about substance use, including youth vaping, and is taking comprehensive action.
• Regulations now prohibit the promotion and advertising of vaping products anywhere they can be seen or heard by youth.
• New regulations are also now in force setting a maximum nicotine concentration for all vaping products, and Health Canada has consulted Canadians on proposed regulations to restrict flavours in vaping products to make them less attractive.
• Our comprehensive evidence-based approach to substance use-related harm prevention helps communities promote protective factors in order to create healthy, supportive environments and build resiliency among youth.

IF PRESSED ON CANNABIS
• A key objective of the Cannabis Act is to protect young persons and others from inducements to use cannabis.
• Since the enactment of the Cannabis Act, the consumption patterns among youth have not changed significantly.
• The Cannabis regime includes provisions to reduce the appeal of cannabis to youth, including strict promotion restrictions, child-resistant plain packaging, and THC limits in specific products.
• The Department continues to monitor research and evaluate potential measures that could be taken to better achieve the Act’s public health and public safety objectives.
• The Government of Canada invested in public education prior to legalization and regulation with campaigns to educate youth and young adults, promote informed decision-making, and educate on the health risks of cannabis and road safety.
• In Spring 2022, Health Canada launched the revamped teacher-led “Pursue Your Passion” campaign for youth 13-15 as well as added cannabis content into the existing “Consider the Consequences” high school vaping education campaign for youth aged 13-18.
 
IF PRESSED ON ILLEGAL CANNABIS PRODUCTS TARGETED AT YOUTH
• The Cannabis Act includes requirements to protect youth from the risks of cannabis. These include restrictions on promotion; prohibiting products and packaging appealing to youth; and THC limits in specific products.
• Illegal cannabis products have no controls and are more likely to lead to negative health effects. Illegal products often mimic common snacks and candy, and may contain dangerous contaminants or high THC.
• The Act gives law enforcement tools to crackdown on illegal sales, including those targeting youth.
• Health Canada continues to educate Canadians about the risks of illegal cannabis, and how to recognize the difference between legal and illegal cannabis, launching the “Reduce your risk: Choose legal cannabis” campaign in May 2022.

IF PRESSED ON TOBACCO AND VAPING USE
• Our Government is pleased to see that smoking rates among Canadian youth are at an all time low, and that vaping rates have stabilized, according to a recent survey.
• Nonetheless, our Government remains concerned about substance use, including youth vaping, and is taking action, including its Consider the Consequences of Vaping youth prevention campaign, investing more than $14 million to date.
• We will continue to strengthen regulations to prevent youth and people who do not smoke from becoming addicted to nicotine and tobacco and provide Canadians with health information on tobacco use.

IF PRESSED ON THE YOUTH-ORIENTED PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
• We have invested in prevention campaigns to educate youth and young adults on the risks and harms of substance use, including vaping to provide guidance to reduce those harms, and to reduce substance-use stigma.
• In 2019, Health Canada launched the Consider the Consequences of Vaping youth prevention campaign, investing more than $14 million to date.
• The campaign has included in-print and online advertising, as well as an interactive learning tour in schools and community venues or virtually. Vaping awareness kits were provided to all middle and high schools, and information resources sent to health care professionals.
• In 2021-22, the campaign focused on reaching youth with new advertising framed with empowerment messaging.
• As of June 2022, the interactive learning tour has reached over 158,000 youth in over 968 schools across the country. Starting in the winter of 2023, an online resource adapted from the learning tour will be available for teachers to host their own sessions.

IF PRESSED ON COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT OF CURRENT MEASURES
• The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act has significant restrictions in place to limit youth access to vaping products and promotions.
• Health Canada has taken actions that have led companies to remove lifestyle advertising from television and in-store displays, and online content from social media influencers.
• Between August 2021 and March 2022, Health Canada inspected more than 1,400 vaping retailers and seized non-compliant vaping products at over 250 establishments.
• Between December 2021 and February 2022, Health Canada conducted inspections of 30 online vaping-product retailers and issued 24 Warning Letters.

Since late 2018, the Government of Canada has implemented a comprehensive suite of measures to address youth vaping, including enhanced public education, increased compliance and enforcement of existing rules and advancing regulations to put in place more controls.

Health Canada’s national public education campaign “Consider the Consequences of Vaping” informs youth and their parents about the risks and harms associated with vaping through advertising, interactive learning tours in schools and online. To date, Health Canada has invested more than $13 million, and an additional $1 million is planned to continue the campaign this year.

Enforcing the strong set of controls already established under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act remains an important part of the Government’s efforts. The department has taken action to shut down illegal promotions by major national brands.

The Vaping Products Promotion Regulations came into force on August 7, 2020. These regulations prohibit any vaping product promotions in locations or media visible to youth. Additionally, the regulations require all remaining permitted ads to include clear health warnings to increase awareness of the risks of these products.

In addition, the Vaping Product Labeling and Packaging Regulations came into force on July 1, 2020. These regulations require that vaping products containing nicotine display a standardized nicotine concentration statement and a health warning about the addictiveness of nicotine as well as a toxicity warning to further increase awareness of the risks.

On July 8, 2021, new Nicotine Concentration in Vaping Products Regulations came into force, which set a maximum nicotine concentration for vaping products sold to 20 mg/ml, down from 66 mg/ml. As of July 23, 2021, it is prohibited to sell any vaping products with a nicotine concentration higher than 20 mg/ml in Canada.

Building on feedback from consultations in 2019, on June 19th, 2021, Health Canada published the proposed Order Amending Schedules 2 and 3 to the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (flavours) and the proposed Standards for Vaping Products’ Sensory Attributes Regulations. The proposal is a three-pronged approach to restricting flavoured vaping products. The regulations would restrict the promotion of flavours in vaping products to tobacco, mint, and menthol; prohibit all sugars and sweeteners and most flavouring ingredients; and prescribe sensory attributes standards to prevent a sensory perception other than one that is typical of tobacco or mint/menthol. The consultation period for the proposed regulations closed September 2, 2021 and the department is reviewing feedback on this proposal.

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