The 2025 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth revealed a near 50% decline in youth vaping, with past 30-day use among Canadians aged 12–17 dropping to 7.2%, from 2019’s record-high of 13.2%.
“Despite this clear progress, certain anti-vaping organizations continue to misrepresent data, inflating perceptions of youth vaping prevalence to justify restrictive policies that overlook the needs of adult consumers,” the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) said.
In December 2024, Health Canada published the first Canadian Substance Use Survey (CSUS) 2023, which included a redesigned sampling methodology aimed at improving the representation of respondents aged 15–24. Most importantly, the survey’s Technical Notes explicitly caution against comparing the CSUS 2023 results to prior studies, including the Canadian Tobacco and Drug Survey (2013–2017) and the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (2019–2022), due to the fundamental methodological changes.
Despite this clear disclaimer, several prominent anti-vaping organizations erroneously compared the data regardless of the warnings, claiming “a third of teenagers vape” as a justification to fast-track flavor restrictions, according to the CVA. “By blurring the line between adult and youth use and disregarding Health Canada’s guidance, these groups distort public understanding, stifle meaningful health dialogues, and risk driving reactionary, unsound policy decisions,” the organization said.
“Misleading claims about youth vaping rates distract from the real public health opportunity: supporting adult smokers seeking less harmful alternatives,” said Sam Tam, president of the CVA. “With youth use at historic lows, policymakers should now focus on harm reduction for the 4.6 million Canadian adults who smoke, the group that benefits the most from regulated, less harmful alternatives.”
The CVA emphasized that vaping remains an important tool for those looking to get off cigarettes, restricting access or imposing excessive regulations on adult-focused products risks driving former smokers back to deadly tobacco use or unregulated products purchased from illicit markets.
“The data is clear: youth vaping has been declining since its peak in 2019,” Tam said. “However, it remains a critical issue, and CVA remains committed to prevention and education efforts to sustain this downward trend. Now is the time to build on this progress by ensuring that Canadians have access to accurate information and safer alternatives. We call on health leaders and policymakers to align strategies with the evidence: protect youth through continued education and stronger enforcement, while empowering adults to make informed choices and reducing the stigma around being a smoker.”
