Health Canada begins to balance public communications around vaping.
Health Canada begins to balance public communications around vaping. As I write this it is Wednesday, January 18 th , the middle of “National Non-Smoking Week”. I was pleased to see a change in Health Canada’s communications this year. Vaping is referenced as a reduced-risk option for smokers in a Statement from Health Canada on behalf of the Minister of Health, along with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. Vaping has also been added to the Quit Planner, an online tool provided by Health Canada to assist smokers in their efforts to stop using combustion-based nicotine products. From the Health Canada Statement published on January 16 th , 2023: “Moreover, evidence suggests that while vaping products are not harmless, vaping exposes people who smoke to lower levels of harmful chemicals than continuing to smoke.” This might not seem like a strong statement. The scientific evidence would certainly support stronger wording, as has been