Prescribing, yes.
We know it's happening, but it's not really being fully enforced. Many e-cigarettes are still being sold on shelves labelled as nicotine-free, and studies are showing they have nicotine in them.
We think that Canadians should be able to fully understand what they're inhaling when they use these products. Safety requirements and quality assurances should be put into place. These would include things like listing the ingredients, letting people know if the ingredients are harmful, and giving information on potential health risks to clients, patients, or anyone who uses them.
One of other concerns, as has been said before, is the uptake by youth. I'm one of those people who started working on this in the trenches in the nineties; I'm one of 10,000 or more other people who has done this work.
One of our concerns, as you said, is that there may be an alternative to smoking to help people quit, but studies are starting to show that kids who have never smoked are using them and that's how they're starting. Our biggest concern is that they will go on. If they use them for the first time and they continue to use them, they'll have a life that circulates around the e-cigarette, just as it would with a cigarette. We don't want these kids to have a lifetime addiction to nicotine.
We also know that youth are being targeted by e-cigarette marketing and branding campaigns. As has been said before, these products come in a variety of candy flavours, like juicy peach, root beer, and cherry crush. When these flavoured e-cigarettes are displayed without restriction on cash counters and retail outlets, kids might be tempted to try the product. E-cigarettes should not be allowed to be sold to minors. There should be regulation in Canada on flavours, making e-cigarettes much less appealing to youth.
We're also concerned about potential normalization. The use of the e-cigarettes in places where smoking is banned, we know will contribute to the social visibility of smoking in public places. We worry that e-cigarettes used in public places and indoor environments will increase the attractiveness of smoking behaviour. This is something that will undermine years of denormalization work. E-cigarettes should be banned in places where smoking is banned, and this should include workplaces that are federally regulated.
Now, when it comes to using them as a smoking cessation aid, we find that people are confused about e-cigarettes. A lot of people think that they are safe. Our organization is striving for a smoke-free country. We're always very interested in looking at methods to help people quit smoking. We know that about 85% of smokers in Canada who smoke want to quit, and we want to help them do that. lt's imperative that cessation aids go through rigorous testing to ensure that they're safe and effective. This hasn't happened for e-cigarettes; therefore, we cannot in all good conscience state that e-cigarettes are entirely safe to use.
Canadians are using e-cigarettes without knowing their contents or potential harmful effects. We encourage Canadians to use cessation aids that have been approved by Health Canada. However, many Canadians mistakenly think that e-cigarettes pose no safety risks. This may be because current regulations are not enforced. lt may also be because consumers can buy e-cigarettes in pharmacies right next to the smoking cessation aids approved by Health Canada.
The Health Canada website warns Canadians not to use e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking. We would like to have these messages disseminated widely.
We are concerned that we may lose ground in reducing smoking in Canada, and we are fearful of a future where youth become addicted to nicotine by using e-cigarettes. We firmly believe that action must be taken on this issue.
I want to thank you for your time and interest today, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have. l look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Thank you.