Close Alert Banner
Close Browser Compatibility Banner
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.
Skip navigation
Back to Homepage
  • Living Here

    • A to Z Services
    • Animal Services and Control
    • Child Care and Early Learning
    • Community Services
    • Community Gardens
    • Council Members
    • COVID-19 INFORMATION CENTRE
    • Education and Schools
    • Emergency Services, Response and Planning
    • Employment Support
    • Environmental Sustainability
    • Events Calendar
    • Financial Assistance
    • Food Banks
    • Garbage and Recycling
    • Home Renovations
    • Housing and Shelter
    • New to Canada or Waterloo Region
    • News and Public Notices
    • Older Adults
    • Roads and Traffic
    • Safety and Crime Prevention
    • Taxes
    • Transportation and Transit
    • Water and Wastewater
  • Exploring the Region

    • About Waterloo Region
    • Airport
    • Archives
    • Arts, Culture and Heritage
    • Events Calendar
    • Exploring the Region
    • Forests and Trails
    • Library
    • Maps
    • Museums
    • Transportation and Transit
  • Doing Business

    • Applications, Licences and Permits
    • Bids and Tenders
    • Commercial Waste
    • Community Profile
    • Construction and Design Standards
    • Economic Development
    • Health Standards for Business
    • Incentive Programs
    • Key Initiatives
    • Key Sectors
    • Operating a Child Care Business
    • Payment Options
    • Planning and Development Services
    • Regional Investments
    • Spills Prevention and Response
    • Surplus Auction
    • Workplace Wellness
  • Health and Wellness

    • Alcohol and Drugs
    • Cannabis Vaping and Tobacco
    • Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan
    • Dementia Services
    • Environmental Health
    • Food and Drinking Water
    • Health Services and Resources
    • Healthy Living
    • Immunizations and Vaccines
    • Infection and Disease
    • Older Adult Health
    • Parenting and Child Health
    • Pregnancy and Baby's First Year
    • Public Health and Emergency Services
    • Public Health Inspections
    • Rehabilitation and Respite Care
    • School Health
    • Sexual Health
    • Sunnyside Home Long-Term Care
    • Sunnyside Wellness Centre
    • Youth Health
  • Regional Government

    • Agendas, Minutes and Webcasts
    • Awards
    • Budget and Financial Statements
    • By-laws
    • Careers and Volunteering
    • Commissioner of Oaths
    • Contact Us
    • Council
    • Departments
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Elections
    • News and Public Notices
    • Open Government
    • Provincial Offences Court and Traffic Tickets
    • Public Engagement
    • Regional Responsibilities - Who Does What in Government
    • Reports, Plans and Data
    • Strategic Plan
    • I want to...

View our Facebook Page View our Twitter Page View our YouTube Page

  • Cannabis Vaping and Tobacco
    Toggle Section
    • Cannabis
      Toggle Section
      • Edibles, topicals and extracts
    • Second-Hand Smoke
    • Smoking Enforcement
    • Tobacco
      Toggle Section
      • Quit Smoking Medications
    • Vaping
    • Where to Get Help
  • Alcohol and Drugs
    Toggle Section
    • Alcohol
    • Cannabis
    • Consumption and Treatment Services
    • Harm Reduction
    • Safe Sharps Disposal
    • Waterloo Region Opioid Response Plan
    • Where to Get Help
  • Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan
  • Dementia Services
    Toggle Section
    • Sunnyside Home Long-Term Care
    • Sunnyside Campus
    • Sunnyside Foundation
    • Quality Care
    • Volunteers, Placements, and Careers
  • Environmental Health
    Toggle Section
    • Air Quality
    • Cooling and Warming Centres
    • Extreme Cold
    • Extreme Heat and Humidity
    • In the Home
    • LED Lights
    • Shade
    • Trichloroethylene
  • Food and Drinking Water
    Toggle Section
    • Drinking Water
    • Food Poisoning
    • Food Safety
    • Food Skills
    • Healthy Eating
  • Health Services and Resources
    Toggle Section
    • Find a Doctor
    • Health Care Providers
    • Healthy Kids Community Challenge
    • Hospitals
    • Parenting Support
    • Personal Health Privacy
    • Public Health Resource Library
    • Student Placements at Public Health
    • Types of Careers in Public Health
    • Walk-in Clinics
  • Healthy Living
    Toggle Section
    • Concussions
    • Food Skills
    • Healthy Eating
    • Healthy Relationships
    • Home Safety
    • Mental Wellness
    • Peer Program
    • Physical Activity
    • Sun Safety
    • Tattoos and Piercings
  • Immunizations and Vaccines
    Toggle Section
    • Flu
    • Hepatitis
    • HPV
    • Immunization Reporting
    • Meningitis
    • School Immunization
    • Travel Vaccines
    • Vaccine Schedule
  • Infection and Disease
    Toggle Section
    • COVID-19
      Toggle Section
      • Adults and COVID-19
      • Children/Teens and COVID-19
      • Coronavirus FAQs
      • Coronavirus media briefing notes
      • COVID-19 assessment and testing centres in Waterloo Region
      • COVID-19 community supports
      • COVID-19 Coordinated Response - Newsletter
      • COVID-19 list of closures and service changes
      • COVID-19 vaccine
        Toggle Section
        • COVID-19 vaccine FAQs
      • Face Coverings
      • Resources for health professionals
      • Resources for child care centres
      • Resources for tenants and landlords
      • Resources for workplaces
        Toggle Section
        • Re-opening Mobile/Temporary Food Services
      • Return to school
        Toggle Section
        • COVID-19 Private School Guidance
      • Submit a COVID-19 complaint
      • Submit a COVID-19 question
      • Waterloo Region COVID-19 Summary
      • Waterloo Region COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force
    • Cancer
    • HIV and AIDS
    • Infection Prevention and Control Lapse Reports
    • Infectious Disease
    • Insect and Animal Diseases
    • Preventing Infections
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
    • Tuberculosis
  • Older Adult Health
    Toggle Section
    • Older Adult Vaccines
    • Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program
    • Physical Activity and Older Adults
    • Slips, Trips and Falls
  • Parenting and Child Health
    Toggle Section
    • Child Safety
    • Children with Special Needs
    • Breastfeeding
    • Dental Health
    • Growth and Development
    • Healthy Eating and Children
    • Parenting Support
    • Physical Activity and Children
    • Positive Parenting
    • The Talk
    • Visual Health
  • Pregnancy and Baby's First Year
    Toggle Section
    • Artificial Baby Milk (Formula)
    • Baby Friendly Initiative
    • Breastfeeding
    • Child Safety
    • Feeding Your Baby Solids
    • Growth and Development
    • Healthy Pregnancy
    • Infant Sleep
    • Now Your Baby is Here
    • Online Prenatal Program
    • Planning for Pregnancy
  • Public Health and Emergency Services
  • Public Health Inspections
    Toggle Section
    • Beaches and Pools
    • Drinking Water
    • Food Safety
    • Salons and Spas
    • Tattoos and Piercings
  • Rehabilitation and Respite Care
    Toggle Section
    • Sunnyside Home Long-Term Care
    • Sunnyside Supportive Housing
    • Sunnyside Campus
    • Convalescent Care
    • Dementia Services
    • Respite
    • Sunnyside Wellness Centre
    • Sunnyside Foundation
    • Quality Care
    • Volunteers, Placements, and Careers
  • School Health
    Toggle Section
    • Active and Safe Routes to School
    • Health Enforcement
    • Playground Activity Leaders in Schools
    • Public Health Curriculum Support
    • Public Health Services
    • Return to school
    • Supporting Healthy Schools
  • Sexual Health
    Toggle Section
    • Contraception
    • Puberty and Sexual Health
    • Sexual Health Services
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
    • HIV and AIDS
  • Sunnyside Home Long-Term Care
    Toggle Section
    • Sunnyside Supportive Housing
    • Sunnyside Wellness Centre
    • Quality Care
    • Sunnyside Campus
    • Sunnyside Foundation
    • Volunteers, Placements, and Careers
  • Sunnyside Wellness Centre
    Toggle Section
    • Sunnyside Campus
    • Sunnyside Supportive Housing
    • Rehabilitation and Respite Care
    • Sunnyside Foundation
    • Quality Care
    • Volunteers, Placements, and Careers
  • Youth Health
    Toggle Section
    • Alcohol Drugs and Youth
    • Healthy Eating and Teens
    • Physical Activity and Teens
    • Puberty and Sexual Health
    • Young Adults and Smoking Cessation

Vaping

  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email This page Email
Home/Health and Wellness/Cannabis Vaping and Tobacco/Vaping

Hand holding a vape or e-cigarette with smoke in the background

Vapes (also known as e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes) are battery powered devices that produce a vapour that the user inhales.

If you don’t smoke, don’t vape.

More research is necessary, however vaping has proven to lead to negative health effects, particularly for youth and pregnant women.

If you choose to vape:

  • reduce your risks by vaping only at low temperatures and avoid vaping daily
  • never modify vaping products or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.
  • do not vape with products bought from an illegal source or products containing THC as these are not subject to any controls or oversight
  • avoid e-juice with nicotine. Those who are vaping nicotine should NOT switch to smoking tobacco products or smoke tobacco products while continuing to vape.
  • know that quitting is always a good option. Many regular tobacco cessation techniques work when you are ready to quit vaping
In the news: Severe Pulmonary Illness

There is an increasing number of cases of severe pulmonary illness related to vaping that is currently under investigation. We recommend that:

  • You refrain from using e-cigarettes or vaping products, particularly any products that have been purchased illegally, including any products that contain THC. Cannabis use has risks, some of which remain unknown and can have short-and long-term harms to your health, including dependence.
  • You do not return to smoking tobacco cigarettes if you are using vaping products containing nicotine as a means of quitting cigarette smoking. Instead, make a quit plan and don’t quit quitting!
  • You let a health care provider know about your vaping history, particularly if you experience any of the following symptoms of pulmonary illness:
    • coughing
    • shortness of breath
    • chest pain

For more information on Severe Pulmonary Illness please read this release from Health Canada.

How does vaping work?

Vapes allow users to inhale the aerosol or vapour of liquids and come in different designs. 

The liquid used in vapes is called E-juice and is kept in a cartridge, tank or pod. The main ingredients in E-juice are glycol or glycerin, water and flavourings. There can be many other chemicals in E-juice and some of them may be harmful.

E-juice can be made with or without nicotine.

The long-term effects of inhaling the chemicals found in E-juice have not been well studied.

For more information on how vaping works, see the mechanics of vaping infographic. 

Where can you vape?

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) 2017 protects people from exposure to second-hand smoke and vapour and discourages young people from starting to smoke or vape.

For more information on where you can or cannot smoke, view our Smoking Enforcement page.

Health effects of vaping

Vaping is not harmless. While vaping is likely less harmful to your health when compared to smoking cigarettes, using E-juices may expose you to harmful chemicals, harm your airways and lungs and lead to nicotine addiction. 

Video: E-Cigarettes – To Vape or Not to Vape?

Short term effects of vaping:

  • light-headedness
  • throat irritation
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • coughing

Health effects of vaping nicotine: 

  • highly addictive
  • can harm the adolescent brain

Learn more about the risks of vaping. 

The long-term effects of inhaling the chemicals found in E-juice and second-hand vapour have not been well studied and need more research.

 E-juice poisoning

Some vaping liquid containers have enough nicotine to be poisonous, particularly to young children.

  • E-juice containing nicotine may be poisonous if swallowed or absorbed through the skin
  • When swallowed, nicotine is extremely toxic and can be fatal
  • E-juice containing nicotine needs to be safely stored away from young children who may accidently swallow the nicotine

To report a poisoning or for information call the Ontario Poison Centre at 1-800-268-9017

Quitting smoking 

More research is needed to know whether or not vapes help people to quit smoking tobacco.

People who want to quit smoking should use products that we know work such as:

  • Nicotine Replacement Therapies: nicotine patch, gum, lozenge, inhaler and mouth spray.
  • Prescription medications (Zyban, Champix)
  • Cytisine

For more information, see Tobacco.

Information for parents, caregivers and educators

Signs that youth are vaping

Equipment

  • You may find devices, E-juice bottles, pods or cartridges (that contain E-juice) or product packaging.
  • Aside from leaf cannabis, jars that contain cannabis concentrates, small tools to scoop the concentrates and cartridges that contain cannabis oil are signs of vaping cannabis.

Packages

  • Be on the lookout for purchases made online and charged to your credit card or unusual packages that arrive in the mail. Youth may also buy them at convenience stores, gas stations or from friends.

Scent

  • While the smell from vaping is faint, you may notice the scent of the flavouring where there appears to be no other source

Increased thirst and nose bleeds

  • Some of the chemicals used in E-juices have the effect of drying out the mouth and nasal passages. As a result, some youth drink more liquids or seem more prone to nose bleeds.

Decreased caffeine use

  • Some youth develop a sensitivity to caffeine. If your child drank caffeinated energy drinks and quits, it may be as a result of vaping.

Vaping lingo

  • You may see vape lingo in text messages such as “atty” for an atomizer, “VG” for vegetable glycerin found in E-juice or “sauce” referring to E-juice, "JUULing" referring to vaping

Social Media

  • Youth may brag about their vaping on social media. Look for pictures on Instagram or YouTube or check their Twitter accounts.

Appearance and behaviour changes

  • Just like smoking cannabis, vaping cannabis can result in bloodshot eyes, dry mouth and thirst, increased appetite and changes in behaviour and mood.
  • Sometimes, there is a noticeable change in friends and a decrease in activities that they once enjoyed.

Withdrawal symptoms

  • If youth become addicted to nicotine, and are without nicotine for more than a few hours they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, difficulty concentrating, cravings, headaches, and fatigue
  • Youth may continue to use nicotine products to avoid feeling this way.
  • Symptoms go away when youth either use products containing nicotine OR two to four weeks after youth quit or reduce their use of nicotine
Resources

Parents, caregivers and educators play an significant role in a child’s life. Being open and talking often about vaping will help youth make better informed decisions.

Parents and caregivers

  • Tip sheet for parents: Talking to your teen about vaping
  • Drug Free Kids Canada: Parent's Resources

Educators

As an educator it is important to know about the types of vape products, the health effects and what supports are available to students.

Below are educator resources that can be used to support students in the classroom:

  • Fact sheet: Vaping
  • Report: Drug Use Among Ontario Student
  • Vaping Information Kit

Through your school board's courier, you can borrow and return resources from the Public Health Resource Library such as activities, games, models, DVDs, posters, and more.

Related pages

  • Public Health Curriculum Support
  • School Health
Subscribe to this Page

Contact Us

ROW logo

City of Cambridge

City of Kitchener

City of Waterloo

Township of North Dumfries

Township of Wellesley

Township of Wilmot

Township of Woolwich

© 2021 Region of Waterloo, 150 Frederick St., Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4J3, Telephone: 519-575-4400,  Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TTY): 519-575-4608, Fax: 519-575-4481, Email Us

AccessibilityContact UsWebsite FeedbackPrivacy StatementTerms of UseSitemapCareers and Volunteering
Designed by eSolutionsGroup

I Want To...

Report or Request

  • By-law concern
  • Concern with construction and road closure
  • Concern with signs and signals
  • Found a needle
  • Immunization records
  • Make a complaint
  • Make a complaint, compliment or feedback about transit
  • Report a waste collection issue
  • More...
  • View All..

Apply or Register

  • Affordable Housing
  • Help for a child with special needs in child care
  • Help to pay for child care
  • Home Child Care
  • Ontario Works
  • Permit or license
  • Volunteer
  • More...

Pay

  • For garbage tags
  • My water bill
  • My invoice
  • My Provincial offence or traffic ticket
  • More...

Talk to Us

  • Communicate with Council
  • Contact Us
  • Find information about community services
  • Provide input on Regional issues
  • Rate our services
  • Subscribe to news and alerts
  • More...

Search Results

Search Results: