Edmonton city council wants the federal government to butt out youth-targeted advertisements for vaping products, according to a motion going before council Tuesday.
“It started for me when I saw some pretty sloppy and aggressive advertisements for vaping products. In the front doors of stores, as you walk into convenience stores you can see vaping advertising right there,” said Coun. Michael Walters, who was behind an initial motion on vaping.
“There’s spots in Edmonton where I saw it suspiciously close to Slurpee and ice cream machines. I don’t want to think the worst of people, but that kind of placement is likely strategic. I just want that cut out.”
Health researchers have been sounding the alarm about a rise in youth vaping, which involves inhaling an aerosol that is often flavoured and can contain nicotine, through a vaping device, such as an e-cigarette.
A recent study in the British Medical Journal found 15 per cent of Canadian youth between the ages of 16 and 19 had vaped within at least 30 days in 2018, compared to eight per cent the previous year.
Walters initially asked city staff for a report on what measures the city could take to reduce how many teenagers vape. But the most effective potential regulations are under provincial and federal purview. For example, advertising restrictions cannot come from municipal government.
The motion asks the mayor to write letters to the provincial and federal governments in support of greater advertising restrictions for vaping products.
“There are good signs the federal government has been doing consultation on approving advertising standards,” Walters said.
The federal government is currently considering limiting the places where advertisements can be placed, limiting the content of advertisements, including health warnings on advertisements and limiting the display of vaping products in some retail locations.
“The provincial government has made some statements in the past about supporting those standards and helping stronger enforcement…I think we just need multi-order of government, community wide and corporate wide approach to reversing what is becoming a trend of increased vaping use among young people.”
St. Albert city council in April passed a similar motion to petition higher orders of government to toughen advertising rules.
“If we had some regulations in place similar to tobacco where it’s covered up, you have to ask for it, it makes it more difficult for kids to get, that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here,” said St. Albert Coun. Jacquie Hansen, who brought forward the motion.
“We’re wanting the feds and province to maybe move faster on it than they are.”
It is illegal in Alberta to sell any flavoured product containing nicotine to minors.