Dr. Bhatnagar, we've recently done a study on opioid use and on marijuana use and the health risks related to that. We have huge addiction problems in Canada. So it's not only tobacco that's the problem, it's addictions that are the problem. Addicts are diminished. They lose control of their lives. Their thoughts are interrupted regularly during waking hours by urges they can't control. They spends hundreds and thousands of dollars annually, depending on their drug of choice, to satisfy unnatural cravings. Teens as young as 12 regularly get drunk, practice binge drinking, and some of them develop lifelong addictions. Teens as young as 12 are addicted already, or beginning an addition to tobacco and marijuana, which also leads to a range of serious health issues later in life including brain damage and lung cancers. Teens as young as 12 are becoming addicted to opioids, other painkillers and prescription drugs, tens of thousands of them. We know that our young people are getting their hands on all these substances. In my view we have failed all these young people. Now there's a new way to get addicted, which is e-cigarettes, and they're already using them.
My question for you is how can we protect our children and youth from the drug and alcohol and nicotine dealers, and don't we owe that protection to our youth, and don't we owe our youth the best that we can do to protect them from those addictions?