University of Victoria professor speaks out against vape study

A vaping rights advocate is speaking out against calls to further regulate e-cigarette use.

Last week, a study came out showing a 74 per cent increase in teens aged 16 to 19 using vapes.

Soon after, the Saskatchewan NDP and the Canadian Cancer Society called for restrictions — like a higher age limit, a ban on flavours that appeal to kids and a licence requirement to sell vaping products.

Dr. Chris Lalonde, a professor of psychology at the University of Victoria, is the academic advisor for Rights 4 Vapers.

He said the study used to justify these calls is flawed.

“That figure is for any vaping in the past 30 days. One puff and you’re in that group. I think that’s not a very good measure of frequency,” Lalonde explained.

He said using this study to justify regulations is a bad idea.

“When you see things that are fairly clearly aimed at misinforming the public, it’s very worrisome. If the public loses trust in public health experts, it’s not a very good thing,” Lalonde said.

In a news release, he questioned the idea of limiting vape flavours.

“Is this single set of data enough to justify the hasty introduction of more draconian regulatory measures?” he rhetorically asked.

Lalonde thinks the real concern should be tobacco use. He said vaping is a healthier substitute for people trying to quit smoking.

“Cigarette smoke contains 7,000 different chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic — vaping doesn’t. It contains maybe four or five ingredients, none of which are carcinogenic,” he said. “If you’re smoking cigarettes, you should switch or quit.”