A poll commissioned by Global News and conducted by the polling company Ipsos found that 80% of people support raising the legal age for purchasing vapes from the current 18 or 19 years old in various provinces to 21 years old.

Sean Simpson, vice president of Ipsos, said that about 8 out of 10 respondents supported raising the minimum age for purchasing these products to 21 years old. This strong support spans every province in Canada, and supporters include people of different ages, Genders, incomes, and education levels of people.

A poll commissioned by Global News and conducted by the polling company Ipsos found that 80% of people support raising the legal age for purchasing vapes from the current 18 or 19 years old in various provinces to 21 years old.

Sean Simpson, vice president of Ipsos, said that about 8 out of 10 respondents supported raising the minimum age for purchasing these products to 21 years old. This strong support spans every province in Canada, and supporters include people of different ages, Genders, incomes, and education levels of people.

Due to the outbreak of lung injury caused by vaping or other vaping products (EVALI) in the United States and Canada, the health effects of e-cigarettes have attracted much attention this year. EVALI has caused 54 deaths and more than 2,500 hospitalizations in the United States, while there have been 14 cases of vape-related lung disease in Canada.

Ran Goldman, a pediatric emergency physician at BC Children’s Hospital, said lung disease or respiratory illness related to vaping is concerning, but most importantly, addiction to vaping or any other problem in adolescence is a cause for concern. A legal buying age would be a positive step. He points to evidence that adolescent brains continue to grow until they are 21 years old.

The report also highlights the growing popularity of vaping among young people. In 2017, about 15% of Canadians over the age of 15 had tried a vape product, and from 2017 to 2018, the proportion of teenagers aged 16 to 19 who said they had smoked a vape in the last month increased significantly by 74%.

Last week, Health Canada announced plans to ban vape advertising anywhere children and teenagers can see it. The federal health minister also announced new mandatory health warnings regarding vape product packaging, according to an online survey of 1,002 Canadians conducted from the 3rd to the 5th of this month.