PEI youth coalition exposes vaping dangers to teenagers

PEI youth are running a movement to discourage the next generation from smoking cigarettes and vapes.

PEI youth are running a movement to discourage the next generation from smoking cigarettes and vapes. Anna Harris, a member of Smoke-Free Generation PEI, a coalition created last year, said the purpose of this movement is to prevent further damage vapes and tobacco have already caused among youth. “I strongly care about the health of others.

For someone who wants to work in healthcare, it is in line with my values,” said Harris. The group’s main goal is to raise awareness by highlighting the risks and dangers of vaping. Currently they are raising awareness through social media, meeting with government officials and lawmakers.

The Souris resident and fourth-year biology student said the rise in popularity of vapes among teenagers can be attributed to easy access, social acceptance, lack of research, social pressure and many other factors. “Mass production of these products is also making it easy for teenagers to access them,” she added. Jennifer O’Brien, the program coordinator for LungsNSPEI, which the youth movement operates under, said originally vapes were created in China in 2003 to help people stop smoking.

“They’re flavourful, do not seem as bad as cigarettes, easy to hide and smell good, which causes a breeding ground for youth addiction. It is not a smoking cessation tool,” O’Brien said. She said before vapes became popular, lots of people had already quit smoking because of successful awareness campaigns, but that work was undone by the rapidly growing popularity of vapes.

The group currently consists of 20 members. They hold monthly meetings and spread their messages through social media and meetings with local MLAs, she said. Recently there has been a small but noticeable trend of people who smoke vapes getting into smoking cigarettes, she added.

O’Brien pointed to recent data among students from Grade 7 to 12 that shows a decrease in vape usage by one per cent and by the time they reach Grade 12 there is an increase in cigarettes by one per cent. Harris has seen the effects among people around her of the same age. “I want them to see the dangers and reach out to their counselors if they need help,” she said.

Harris said the coalition is trying to recruit as many members as possible, regardless of their smoking habits or history.