A Fraser Health official says that almost every retailer selling cigarettes is also selling vapour products, with a number being sold to minors.
That鈥檚 what Fraser Health鈥檚 Tobacco and Vapour Products Enforcement Team is working to stop with its minor test-shopper program that鈥檚 been running for more than a decade.
But in the years since it started, health protection manager Alex Kwan said he鈥檚 seen a shift toward vaping products despite teens not yet knowing the potential harms of vapour products. Vaping really became popular in the mid-2010s, Kwan said in an interview Thursday (June 1).
OPINION:
鈥淭here鈥檚 very little information 鈥� if any, based on what I鈥檝e seen 鈥� around any potential concerns or harms, and therefore it may give youth a wrong impression about the safety of these products, so I do feel it鈥檚 important that we have this program to help prevent sales to minors.鈥�
Wednesday marked the 36th annual World No Tobacco Day, established by the World Health Organization to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
The team has been working with minors as test shoppers in the region for more than a decade, aiming to prevent tobacco and vapour product sales to teens through a team of 12 test shoppers.
Working in pairs, the shoppers will try and buy products they鈥檙e not supposed to be able to get because they鈥檙e underage. Retailers are required to ask anyone who looks under 19 for ID before selling tobacco or vapour products.
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One of those shoppers is 17-year-old Amy, whose name has been changed for privacy concerns.
鈥淢y friends call me a narc,鈥� she said.
Once a transaction is complete, both teens meet with an enforcement officer stationed outside the store and independently prepare their notes.
鈥淎lmost every retailer who sells cigarettes is selling vapour products and we鈥檙e seeing a lot more sales to minors,鈥� explained Kwan.
Selling to a minor can lead to fines or licence suspensions. Last year, Fraser Health issues 63 fines and checked more than 1,200 retail outlets for compliance with provincial regulations.
Amy knows the potential impacts vaping can have on people her age.
鈥淭here are real short- and long-term health consequences for them, so it鈥檚 important to try and stop them accessing these products.鈥�
The main thing, Kwan said, is that it鈥檚 illegal to sell vapour or tobacco products to anyone under the age of 19, 鈥渞egardless of how informed the youth may be that is still the law.鈥�
When it comes to teens vaping, he really wants them to learn about the potential impacts.
鈥淭here are various reasons why youth may want to pick up vaping. It could range from just popularity, peer pressure, or it could even in some cases be a coping mechanism for whatever stresses they鈥檙e experiencing.鈥�
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