Teen vaping should be addressed like any substance use disorder, B.C. doctor says

Vaping rates in Canada are among the highest in the world and, in B.C. schools, its prevalence has become a serious concern for staff and health officials.

Dr. Milan Khara, who specializes in smoking and vaping cessation, agrees that it’s best to lead with empathy and compassion and approach vaping just like any other substance use disorder.

However, he said there is one big challenge.

“One of the difficulties, I think, is when we treat addiction and when we treat people with substance use disorder, one of the things we do is we encourage them to remove the triggers,” he said.

“We encourage them to move away from the people, places and things associated with that substance use. For example, people who are struggling with alcohol use, we recommend that they don’t go to the bar. But with young people who are vaping, they go to school every day. They go to school and mix with other kids who are vaping.”

Khara said this is one of the biggest obstacles facing young people as they cannot avoid attending school.

Another issue is the accessibility of vape products.

In Abbotsford, Dimpal Batra owns a store called Vape Lit, but she is adamant she never sells to underage customers.

She told Global News she even installed a metal gate to control the flow of young people entering her store.

In 2020, the B.C. government restricted flavoured vapes to 19-plus stores, reduced the amount of nicotine levels that could be sold in cartridges, and launched an anti-vaping awareness campaign.

Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare said she believes those actions have made a difference.

“Absolutely there is more to do,” she added.

“Every time I go and visit classrooms and have a conversation and give that opportunity for a question, answer, at the end, there’s at least one student who asks ‘what do I do when I’m getting peer-pressured to vape? How can I get my friends to stop vaping? It’s a real concern among students themselves, not just the adults.”

Abbotsford Senior Secondary School vice-principal, Brent Schroeder, told Global News that vaping in schools is a huge concern.

“This isn’t a here problem, it’s an everywhere problem, I would say,” Schroeder said.

“But it is eye-opening when you are doing the actual work and see how much of a problem it is.”

Some schools in B.C. have installed vape detectors in washrooms and others have suspended students for vaping on school grounds.

Dr. Nathan Njieng, Abbotsford’s School District deputy superintendent, said the issue should be dealt with using a wider lens.

“One of the things that has come up from young people when we engage in conversation is the underlying why they might engage in substance use,” he said.

“Often we hear about, we want to connect with our peers, connect with adults, I want you to ask me how I’m doing rather than take a punitive approach and tell me what not to do.

“So that’s been the focus when it talks about upstream prevention and approaches and a framework, (it’s) really about connection with young people.”

Watch the full Global BC Presents special on teen vaping below:

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