Youth Vaping Rates Plummet: Canadian Vaping Association Urges Shift to Adult Harm Reduction Strategies

Hamilton Spectator

21-05-2025

Ottawa, ON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Statistics Canada's latest findings from the 2025 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth reveal a dramatic decline in youth vaping, with past 30-day use among Canadians aged 12–17 dropping to 7.2%, a near 50% reduction from the peak rate of 13.2% recorded in 2019.
Misleading Comparisons Undermine Evidence-Based Debate on Vaping
Despite this clear progress, certain anti-vaping organizations continue to misrepresent data, inflating perceptions of youth vaping prevalence to justify restrictive policies that overlook the needs of adult consumers.
In December 2024, Health Canada published the first Canadian Substance Use Survey (CSUS) 2023, which included a redesigned sampling methodology aimed at improving representation of respondents aged 15–24. Most importantly, the survey's Technical Notes explicitly caution against comparing the CSUS 2023 results to prior studies, including the Canadian Tobacco and Drug Survey (2013–2017) and the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (2019–2022), due to the fundamental methodological changes.
Despite this clear disclaimer, several prominent anti-vaping organizations erroneously compared the data regardless of the warnings, claiming 'a third of teenagers vape' as a justification to fast-track flavour restrictions. By blurring the line between adult and youth use and disregarding Health Canada's guidance, these groups distort public understanding, stifle meaningful health dialogues, and risk driving reactionary, unsound policy decisions.
'Misleading claims about youth vaping rates distract from the real public health opportunity: supporting adult smokers seeking less harmful alternatives,' said Sam Tam, President of the Canada Vaping Association. 'With youth use at historic lows, policymakers should now focus on harm reduction for the 4.6 million Canadian adults who smoke, the group that benefits the most from regulated, less harmful alternatives.'
The CVA emphasizes that vaping remains an important tool for those looking to get off cigarettes, restricting access or imposing excessive regulations on adult-focused products risks driving former smokers back to deadly tobacco use or unregulated products purchased from illicit markets.
'The data is clear: youth vaping has been declining since its peak in 2019. However, it remains a critical issue, and CVA remains committed to prevention and education efforts to sustain this downward trend. Now is the time to build on this progress by ensuring that Canadians have access to accurate information and safer alternatives,' added Sam Tam. 'We call on health leaders and policymakers to align strategies with the evidence: protect youth through continued education and stronger enforcement, while empowering adults to make informed choices and reducing the stigma around being a smoker.'
The decline in youth vaping coincides with the continued expansion of Canada's regulated age gated specialty vape retail industry, which enforces strict ID verification protocols and complies with federal and provincial regulations. These licensed retailers serve adults exclusively and represent one of the few consumer channels in Canada with mandatory age verification at both the point of sale and delivery.
Moving forward, policymakers must prioritize accurate, science-driven data when creating fair and effective regulations that protect youth without sacrificing progress for Canadians looking to stop smoking. Misguided policies rooted in outdated or misrepresented statistics risk undermining harm reduction efforts, pushing former smokers back to cigarettes or fueling unregulated, illicit markets. By aligning regulations with the latest evidence, and rejecting fear-based narratives, Canada can continue its position as a global leader in balanced, progressive public health strategy.
In the last year, there has been a lot of push for nationwide flavour bans as a means to end youth vaping. Prohibitive measures like this do little to stop youth from vaping and often backfire by pushing them further into the illicit market. When legal options are restricted, determined teens don't simply stop, they shift to unregulated sources where flavoured products are still widely available. These underground channels not only make it easier for youth to obtain vapes, but also expose them to untested, potentially more dangerous products. As history has shown with other forms of prohibition, restricting access doesn't eliminate demand, it just drives it into the shadows.
The CVA remains committed to collaborating with governments, ministries and stakeholders to safeguard youth while continuing to offer less-harmful alternatives for adult consumers.
By uniting evidence, innovation, and public health priorities, we can save lives, end preventable smoking-related deaths, and create a healthier Canada where harm reduction offers adults an escape from deadly tobacco addiction, once and for all.
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