Thank you again for having me back in my old committee.
Dr. Ostiguy, thank you for your presentation on electronic vaporizers, commonly referred to as "e-cigarettes".
As you are no doubt aware, they were invented in 2003 by a Chinese entrepreneur named Hon Lik. Most e-cigarettes are made in China. On the surface, they appear safer because they don't contain any carbon monoxide or tar. That being said, at this point, no one can guarantee their safety. Nevertheless, the e-cigarette market is developing quickly.
I looked at some documentation on the situation in my province, Quebec. This new way of smoking is all the rage among students. I read that 8% of students in grade 6 and 34% of high-school students had tried e-cigarettes between 2012 and 2013. The Canadian Cancer Society, specifically its Quebec division, had called on the government to take action and regulate e-cigarettes in the Tobacco Act.
What do you think the federal government should do about this new way of smoking? I am a doctor by training. The objective, as I see it, is to wipe out smoking in all its forms. Doctors are the ones who prescribe nicotine replacement therapy, but the product we are talking about today is available to anyone anywhere and is completely unregulated, from the manufacturing stage right to the point of sale.
What recommendations would you make to the federal government in that regard?