New guidance in Canada recommends that steam is a last resort for Canadians looking to stop smoking.
The recommendations will be published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal of Preventive Healthcare, laying out new ways to help people reduce and stop smoking completely.
It is recommended that your doctor asks if the patient will smoke before working with the patient to decide to quit.
The proposed plans include primary care advice, individual or group counseling by a trained suspension counselor, nicotine alternatives such as gum and patches, and prescription medications.
“We are a teacher who has been working with people in the world,” said Dr. Eddie Lang, a professor at the University of Calgary's School of Emergency Medicine and a member of the task force. “So to make that one of our guidelines a target and help us organize all the different options that will help you stop smoking?”
The task force is also highly recommended for the use of several tools as it has little effect on the “very uncertain” data or stopping of acupuncture, hypnotherapy, electrostatics, etc.
According to Statistics Canada, about 12% of Canadians over the age of 25 are currently smoking, compared to 4% between 15 and 19.
Canada's latest cigarette and nicotine survey found that 31% of smokers over the age of 15 are trying to quit within the past year, with about 62% trying to do so without assistance.
However, others have used various tools to quit, such as 39.5% trying to reduce smoking and 28% switching to e-cigarettes as ways to stop smoking.
The doctors need to use e-cigarettes.
Health agencies like Johns Hopkins Medicine say vaping is less harmful than smoking a cigarette, but it is recommended to avoid it as it contains thousands of chemicals because it is “still not safe.”
The product contains nicotine and heavy metals such as nickel and tin, and the vapor contains carcinogens similar to tobacco vapors.
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Lang told Global News that the presence of these chemicals and the lack of long-term safety data are the reasons why the task force's recommended e-cigarettes will be used as a last resort to ending.
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“We don't know exactly what the long-term consequences of long-term use of nicotine via e-cigarettes are,” Lang said. “We didn't want to normalize it. I think it's very pronounced and there's something better than being able to stop smoking before resorting to vaping.”
The Task Force recommends e-cigarette use, except for smokers who have not succeeded with other options or are not willing to try those options. According to the task force, when recommending non-smoking tools, strong preferences for using e-cigarettes should also be taken into consideration.
Healthcare organizations like the Alberta Lung Association also say there are concerns that e-cigarettes are no longer considered a stopping tool. This points to products sold in flavors such as bubble gum and various types of fruit.
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“There's a reason why flavored cigarettes are banned, and this is the same as those flavored e-cigarettes,” said Jamie Happy, the association's health and exercise coordinator. “They tend to be very popular with young people, which creates an entire population that is currently dependent on nicotine.”
In a Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey released in 2023, 47.5% of young adults said they had tried to vaping at least once, 20-24-24%, and 15-19%. The survey showed that among people over 15 years of age who used steam 30 days before being asked, 78% reported using e-liquid containing nicotine.
A recent analysis by York University found that, in collaboration with London's Faculty of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, there was “consistent evidence” that Vaped youth are three times more likely to become smokers, adding links to the use of other substances such as marijuana and alcohol. The study also warned of an increased risk of respiratory health problems.
The researchers analyzed 56 reviews conducted between 2016 and 2024 on the impact of vaping in teens and adults up to age 24, including reviews conducted in Canada, the US and the UK.
Happy said vaping is becoming an alternative habit.
“People are replacing one habit with another because they don't address the main problem that is nicotine dependence,” she said.
Lang said the difficulty of quitting smoking is recognized, but the hope is that the recommendations give people a range of options to stop them.
“I know it's hard to stop. It can probably take a couple more times, but the health benefits are extraordinary, so it's worth pursuing,” Lang said.
– Skylar Peters files from Global News
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