Rainbow schools ban on smoking already includes e-cigarettes
SUDBURY—A recent motion from the Sudbury and District Board of Health (SDBH) calling on the province to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes on school property and their promotion has gotten attention from both the media and Manitoulin’s trustee on the Rainbow District School Board (RDSB), however the school board says e-cigarettes are already included in their no smoking on school property policy.
The Sudbury Board of Health passed a motion at its most recent meeting stating, “whereas in 2013, approximately 5.6 percent of students in Grades 7 to 12 in the Sudbury and District Health Unit (SDHU) area reported having smoked cigarettes daily in the past year (3.4 percent Ontario), and the overall prevalence of smoking in the SDHU area is significantly higher than that for the province (26.4 percent versus 19.2 percent daily or occasional smokers of ages 12 and over, 2011-2012), and one in four Ontario youth in Grades 9-12, who report smoking, say they smoked menthol cigarettes. And, evidence suggests that at least some of the youth smoking menthol cigarettes choose to do so because they didn’t like the flavour of regular cigarettes, and whereas the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDS) determined that while menthol in cigarettes is not a toxic ingredient, menthol makes already toxic cigarettes more appealing cigarettes and is therefore a public health risk above that seen with non-menthol cigarettes. And whereas the Sudbury and District Board of Health has a longstanding history of action and advocacy to prevent tobacco use and promote tobacco use cessation, be it resolved that the Sudbury and District Board of Health strongly endorse the Ontario Medical Association’s call on government to reintroduce tobacco legislation banning candy and fruit-flavoured cigarettes while adding to it a ban of the sale of menthol cigarettes and tobacco products.”
The board also passed a motion on the manufacture, sale, promotion, display and use of e-cigarettes and prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes on school property, stating, “Whereas electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) mimic the appearance, use, and sometimes the taste of a cigarette and some use cartridges which contain nicotine, an addictive substance. E-cigarettes that contain nicotine or make a health claim are illegal in Canada, however, there is no legislation that regulates the sale and use of e-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine or make health claims. And e-cigarettes could have potential as a cessation aid, but there is limited data on their overall effectiveness to do so. The Sudbury and District Board of Health support the efforts of alPHa, Ontario Boards of Health and other public health agencies and provincial organizations and strongly recommend implementation of federal regulations on the manufacturing and quality of e-cigarettes, the promotion, display and sale of e-cigarettes to minors, and the use of e-cigarettes in workplaces and public places. And further, that the Sudbury and District Board of Health recommend prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes on school property, and further that this motion be forwarded to Health Canada, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, local MPs, alPHa and Ontario Boards of Health.”
The motion prompted a story by the CBC stating that the RDSB is now including e-cigarettes in its policy banning tobacco on school properties.
Manitoulin trustee on the RSDB, Larry Killens, contacted the paper after the release of the story to express his opinion on the RDSB’s decision to ban e-cigarettes.
“The board administration has gone ahead and made this decision (to ban e-cigarettes) without consulting parent/school councils,” said Mr. Killens. “I have been getting phone calls from parents that have begged and pleaded with their children to quit smoking and are supplying them with these e-cigarettes. We need to do our homework. Some parent may be trying to help their child quit and using e-cigarettes as a way to do so. I’m not saying e-cigarettes are good or bad, I’m just saying we need to talk to parents first.”
The Expositor contacted the RDSB to determine if this decision was prompted by the motion from the Sudbury and District Health Board and to address Mr. Killens’ concerns.
“We treat the electric version of the product (cigarettes) the same in our policy,” explained Bruce Bourget, RDSB superintendent. “There is a policy of no smoking on school property (at all RDSB schools) and that includes e-cigarettes. When e-cigarettes came along, long before this motion from the health board, we decided to treat e-cigarettes the same (as traditional tobacco products).”
As to Mr. Killens’ comments, Mr. Bourget said that the policy had not been changed and that the ban on e-cigarettes on RDSB school properties had been in effect under the existing no smoking policy for several years.
