Who Speaks For Smokers?

OLDER CANADIANS USE VAPOUR PRODUCTS TO QUIT SMOKING AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO SMOKE

TORONTO, March 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Today the Government of Canada released its 2020 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey. The results show that while the attention of regulators, politicians and the anti-nicotine activists has been on creating a manufactured vaping 'epidemic', older Canadians continue to smoke and look to vaping as a means of quitting.

"What we are seeing is a problem with health equity. All Canadians deserve the same support and access to health services. This is not currently the case for smokers. They are forgotten because in the minds of most regulators, smokers bring on their own problems with their dirty habit," said Maria Papaioannoy, spokesperson for Rights4Vapers. "If there was true health equity in Canada, our governments would be pushing for more access to vapour products, more information about vaping, and more empathy for smokers who use vapour products to quit."

The CTNS found that among vapers aged 25 and older, 53% said they vape to reduce or quit smoking. Thousands of Canadians can testify that vaping has helped them quit smoking and added years to their lives.

"We can all agree that kids should not be vaping. There are laws in place to restrict access. Let's enforce these laws," said Ms. Papaioannoy. "The recent proposal to limit nicotine in vapour products, the proposed 20% tax on vapour products, and the likely nation-wide ban on flavours, show that the government has no interest in saving the lives of smokers."

The good news is that the survey shows that vaping among youth has decreased in the last year. In 2020 about 14% of youth aged 15 to 19 reported having vaped in the past 30 days. In 2019 it was 15% or a 6.66% reduction.

However, there is critical supporting data missing from this year's survey. Statistics Canada has not released the detailed data for each question. This severely limits the ability for third parties to do any kind of meaningful analysis.

"What are they trying to hide? The 2019 survey included detailed tables and a breakdown of the data." said Ms. Papaioannoy. "Where is the daily use information? Where is the perception of harm question? Where is the full picture?"

About Rights4Vapers

Rights4Vapers is an organization of vaping advocates dedicated to the advancement of Canadian based research on vaping. Dr. Chris Lalonde is an academic advisor. Rights4Vapers is the voice of Canadian adult vapers, 98 percent of whom are former smokers.

SOURCE Rights 4 Vapers

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