February 2026: Diverging Alcohol and Nicotine Trends Among Young Canadian Adults
Young Canadian adults are consuming less alcohol than older generations, while reporting comparatively higher daily use of nicotine products. Based on self-reported lifestyle disclosures from insurance applications, Canadians aged 18 to 29 recorded the lowest incidence of daily alcohol consumption among all age groups, with fewer than 1% indicating they drink every day. By contrast, nearly 5% of respondents aged 60 and above reported daily alcohol use.
However, the 18-29 cohort reported the highest level of daily nicotine use, at 7.3%. In other age groups, daily nicotine consumption ranged between 5% and 6%. The data covers all nicotine formats, including vaping products, combustible cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Elevated nicotine use among younger adults appears to be driven less by traditional cigarette smoking and more by increased uptake of vapes and, more recently, nicotine pouches. While combustible cigarette consumption has declined structurally, next-generation nicotine formats continue to attract new entrants to the category.
Separate data from Statistics Canada reinforces this pattern. Youth aged 15 to 19 reported a 14% prevalence of vaping in the previous 30 days, rising to 20% among those aged 20 to 24, compared with 4% among Canadians aged 25 and older. Flavour innovation – particularly fruit-oriented profiles – is widely cited as a contributing factor to product appeal among younger demographics, potentially lowering perceived risk perceptions and facilitating trial among first-time users.
Overall, the findings point to a generational shift in substance consumption patterns, characterised by reduced alcohol intake alongside increased adoption of non-combustible nicotine products.
February 2026: Health Canada Finds High Vaping Compliance Among Convenience Retailers
The latest Vaping Compliance and Enforcement Report from Health Canada highlights a notable difference in adherence to federal vaping regulations across retail channels. Inspections conducted between April 2024 and March 2025 revealed that convenience and gas retailers recorded some of the highest compliance rates in the country, with only 1% of convenience stores found to be non-compliant when selling vaping products. In contrast, vaping specialty stores exhibited significantly lower compliance, with a 43% non-compliance rate, indicating that specialized outlets are more prone to regulatory breaches despite their focus on vaping products.
The findings suggest that larger, mainstream retailers may benefit from more standardized operational practices, corporate oversight, and employee training, which contribute to consistent adherence to regulations. Conversely, smaller specialty stores may face challenges such as inconsistent staff knowledge, variations in local enforcement, or limited resources to implement compliance measures fully. Health Canada’s report underscores the importance of ongoing inspections and targeted educational initiatives to ensure all retail channels maintain high standards of compliance, ultimately supporting public health objectives and responsible vaping product distribution.
July 2025: Flavoured vape products remain widely available in Québec despite the ban
According to a study commissioned by Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN), British American Tobacco (BAT)’s Canadian subsidary, flavoured vape products remain widely available in Québec and are highly sought after by vapers despite the provincial ban on flavours in vaping products:
– 76% of adult vapers claim to have purchased at least one illegally sold vaping product in the last 12 months. This is a marked increase of 8 pp over a similar survey conducted in the fall of 2024. To download the ITCAN’s 2024 study: Vape Québec
– The purchase of flavoured products in specialty stores has risen from 40% in 2024 to 52% in 2025 despite the ban. This increase coincides with a drop in online purchases, suggesting a shift towards physical outlets.
ITCAN states that the findings are in line with an independent investigation conducted by the Journal de Montréal in May 2025 which revealed that banned vaping products remain readily available on the illegal market. ITCAN also calls on the Québec authorities to enforce the law before another EVALI-type crisis breaks out.
May 2025: Youth vaping rates plummet in Canada
2025 Canadian Health Survey on Children & Youth reveals a substantial decline in youth vaping, with past 30-day use among Canadians aged 12–17 dropping to 7.2% – almost a 50% reduction from the peak rate of 13.2% recorded in 2019. The decline in youth vaping coincides with the continued expansion of Canada’s regulated age-gated specialty vape retail industry, which enforces strict ID verification protocols and complies with federal and provincial regulations. These licensed retailers serve adults exclusively and represent one of the few consumer channels in Canada with mandatory age verification at both the point of sale and delivery.
Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) states that 82% of adult vapers in Canada are former smokers (2024 Health Canada data). The CVA advocates for strict age verification, enforcement of youth access laws, and evidence-based policymaking – but, fiercely opposes a nationwide flavour bans on vapes as a means to reduce youth vaping.
February 2025: Imperial Tobacco withdraws its vape products from Prince Edward Island province
British American Tobacco (BAT)’s Canadian subsidary, Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN) withdrew its vape products, sold under the VUSE brand, from Prince Edward Island (PEI) province due to the lack of regulatory enforcement and rampant illegal market. VUSE vapes will no longer be available in PEI as of March 1, 2025. BAT is the leader in the Canadian legal vape market with 85.9% share and blamed the lack of enforcement against illegal flavoured disposable vapes in the U.S. and the province of Québec, Canada for the VUSE sales decline at its FY24 results release. For further details: BAT: FY24 Results.
ITCAN stated that the flavored vape ban in PEI handed over the control of the province’s vape market to the illegal operators and an overly complex tax harmonization policy is penalizing the legal businesses. ITCAN also considers to withdraw its vape products from the Quebec province if the Goverment does not take immidiate action to crack down on the illegal vape market. In October 2023, Quebec banned the sale of all flavored vape products (except tobacco-flvaored and flavourless vapes), mirroring PEI’s 2021 flavor regulations.
A study commissioned by ITCAN found that 61% of respondents in Quebec had purchased flavored vape products and 33% had bought vape products online circumventing the Quebec’s 2015 ban on online vape sales. In addition, a report from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (MSSS) shows that only 38% (150) of all vape shops have been inspected, despite widespread non-compliance. Among those inspected, only 28 retailers received fines despite more than 90% failing to comply with regulations. Fines are as low as C$2,500 for first-time offenders and C$5,000 for repeat violations.
