School board bans electronic cigarettes

By MIKE YOUDS

Call it vaping, call it smoking, call it what you want, but don’t bring e-cigarettes onto school property.

That was the firm decision of Kamloops-Thompson School Board when trustees met in Chase on Monday night.

“It was the board’s unanimous decision to ban them,” said Vice Chair Kathleen Karpuk. “The concern is that chemicals in e-cigarettes are vapourized then inhaled, and that’s extremely dangerous.”

There is no assurance that the chemical constituents in e-cigarettes do not contain carcinogens, she added.

“There’s a real possibility that people using them are inhaling more and other substances.”

School District 73 is but one of many public bodies taking a cautious approach to the products.

Two Edmonton school boards also banned e-cigarettes last week. The U.S. government is considering banning their use by minors. Health advocates are concerned that the products will introduce a new generation to cigarette smoking and that little is known about their long-term health impact.

In Canada, e-cigarettes are not approved for sale or use by Health Canada. Earlier this year, Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C. medical health officer, said they should be regulated.

As of today (Tuesday), emails were sent to school principals across the district informing them of the new rule, which is an amendment to the existing smoking policy. As with conventional cigarette smoking, there is nothing they can do if students choose to use e-cigarettes when they’re off school property.

The district doesn’t intend to take any other measures against the practice at this time, but will continue to stress healthy choices overall.

“We are always working with students and educating them around tobacco, drug and alcohol use,” Karpuk said.