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By Shaun Penner

AHS looking to break trend in teen vaping with information session

Mar 16, 2019 | 7:00 AM

Alberta Health Services will be hosting a community information session next week, which is looking to educate teens on the risks associated with vaping. AHS is also hoping to provide some reduction strategies to lower the numbers of youth using e-cigarettes and similar devices.

AHS Addiction Prevention Counsellor Greg Paterson will be hosting the event, which goes Wednesday night (March 20) at the Grande Prairie Public School District Office from 6:30-7:30. He points out that it is the first of its kind to be offered to residents of the Swan City.

“To my knowledge, there has been no local studies done on use amongst youth in Grande Prairie,” said Paterson. “One thing I can certainly speak to is the level of concern that is coming from school administrators and individuals in the education system around the growing trend they are seeing in the student use of these devices.”

Edmonton City Councillor Michael Walters pointed out this week that he is noticing advertising for vape products is typically targeted towards youth. He and the rest of council are now looking at ways to discourage the sale of such products to youth in the Alberta capital.

Paterson notes he is seeing a similar trend, especially with the types of e-juice flavours that are offered.

“One aspect of that is the number of flavourings, which is upwards of 8,000,” said Paterson. “There’s anywhere from candy, to flavoured cereals to dessert flavours. There definitely seems to be a direction pointed towards youth when it comes to these devices.”

Paterson explains one of the biggest reasons vaping is trending upwards is that there is plenty of misconception when it comes to the harms e-juices have in comparison to cigarettes. Though it is an improvement, in Paterson’s view, for someone that is smoking to convert to vaping, he says e-juices have different chemicals that are still very harmful to users. But one similarity both cigarettes and e-juices have in common: they both contain nicotine.

“Nicotine is affiliated with all sorts of health risks,” said Paterson. “Memory and concentration, especially for developing brains. It’s affiliated with reduction in impulse control, cognitive and behavioral problems and it is also highly addictive.”

He hopes that the session can provide youth and parents with the information they need to help prevent the increase in use of vaping devices.

Residents who would like to attend do not need to register, and the event is free to attend.

The GPPSD office is located at 10127 120 Avenue.

by Shaun Penner