SD46 has created a new substance-use regulation to stop students from using e-cigarettes or vaporizers at school, in addition to cannabis, tobacco and other “impairing substances.”
“Smoking, vaping and the use of tobacco products or cannabis is prohibited on all property owned or operated by the school district and in school district vehicles,” reads the new regulation, which was brought before the board of trustees on Jan. 9.
The rationale for the ban is to “provide the greatest opportunity for healthy student growth and development,” according to the regulation, which also states the Board of Education “supports a proactive and comprehensive approach to substance use which emphasizes preventative curriculum, early intervention, counselling and disciplinary actions.”
The regulation was brought before the education committee in October and then circulated for 60 days starting in November for feedback from the public. Trustees approved it at the Jan. 9 board meeting.
The new regulation combines language from the Student Substance Use and Smoking in Schools Regulations, and introduces references to vaping and the Cannabis Act.
“These things didn’t exist when the old regulation was written,” said Vanessa White, SD46’s director of instruction and student support services, when explaining the need for the update to include vaping. “We were having situations where students were confused,” she said.
Consensus on the long-term health effects of vaping has not been established, according to a 2018 study published by the National Academy of Medicine. The study found “conclusive evidence” that aside from nicotine, “most e-cigarettes contain and emit numerous potentially toxic substances,” but it also found that exposure to potentially toxic substances is “significantly lower” than traditional cigarettes. It also found “substantial evidence” that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke regular cigarettes.
Regulations aren’t new just to SD46. In May, the federal Tobacco Act was amended to ban the sale and promotion of vaping products to people under the age of 18. Child-resistant packaging was also introduced to prevent nicotine poisoning. It has been illegal to sell or give vaping products to youth in B.C. since 2016, when the province’s Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act came into effect.
The district does not know how many students vape or have tried vaping but the results of a B.C. adolescent health survey are expected in the spring that will provide more granular data. Anecdotally, the students are taking up the habit. “We are definitely seeing students vaping,” White said.
To tackle the increase, the district is coordinating with Vancouver Coastal Health. A tobacco reduction coordinator provides educational sessions to Grade 7 students, including a short video presenting the potential risks associated with the activity.
According to a 2017 population survey conducted by Health Canada, 23 per cent of youth from ages 15 to 19 have tried an e-cigarette. The majority of non-smokers who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days were youth.
“The kids are saying things like, ‘It’s just fruit flavouring, it’s not nicotine,’” White said. The same 2017 survey shows fruit and candy or dessert-flavoured vaping fluid is used most often among youth.
SD46 is not the only district dealing with vaping. Last December, a North Vancouver high school temporarily locked nearly all of its student bathrooms to deter them from clandestine vaping.
