Vaping Risks and Benefits: What Canadian Health Bodies Say

The honest answer to “are e-cigarettes safe?” is no, not in the way people mean it. They are also not the same as cigarettes. Health Canada’s pages draw a line between those two statements, and the useful question is who is on which side of it.

What is known about the harms

Nicotine. Health Canada states that vaping with nicotine can cause physical dependence and addiction. That applies to every nicotine liquid, whatever the flavour or device. Since July 2021, legal vaping liquids in Canada hold 0 to 20 mg/mL of nicotine, so a product at the top of that range is still a strong dose.

Short-term effects. The effects people report most often are cough, nausea, headache, and irritation of the throat and mouth.

Chemicals. Aerosol carries some of the same harmful substances found in cigarette smoke, but Health Canada says the levels are significantly lower. That is a comparison, not a clean bill of health.

Pregnancy. Vaping exposes a fetus to chemicals, including nicotine, that carry health risks.

Young people. Brain development continues through adolescence and into early adulthood, which is the main reason health agencies single out youth.

What is not known

Health Canada says the long-term risks of inhaling vaping aerosol are unknown and are still being researched. Until that research arrives, “safer than smoking” is a reasonable description for an adult who has fully switched, and “safe” is not.

One worry is settled, at least for now. Health Canada says vaping is not known to cause popcorn lung and had no confirmed cases linked to vaping in Canada.

The possible benefit for adults who smoke

Health Canada describes vaping as a less harmful option for adults who have been unable to quit with authorized quit aids, on the condition that they switch completely. Its page on quitting smoking adds that evidence suggests vaping nicotine may help more adults quit smoking.

Three limits come with that.

• No approval. Vaping products have not been approved in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act as quit-smoking aids. Doctors do not prescribe them for that purpose, and sellers cannot claim they help people quit.
• Dual use. Smoking some days and vaping on others means you are not avoiding the risks of cigarettes. Health Canada’s advice is to stop all cigarettes as soon as possible.
• Swapping one dependence for another. Health Canada suggests quitting vaping later, once you are confident you will not go back to smoking, and considering nicotine replacement to stay free of both.

If you have not tried the authorized options yet, start with the medications to quit smoking in Canada; counselling and approved products are the route Health Canada recommends first.

Why youth are the concern

In January 2025 the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health said the population-level risks of nicotine vaping for youth and people who do not smoke are a primary concern. The council backed a ban on all flavoured nicotine vaping products, as already in force in six jurisdictions (see the flavour bans by province).

The numbers have moved in a better direction. In Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, 13.2% of people aged 12 to 17 had vaped in the past 30 days in 2019, 7.2% in 2023 and 5.8% in 2024. Adult figures are on the smoking and vaping statistics page.

Who should avoid vaping

Health Canada’s message is short: youth and people who do not smoke should not vape. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should talk to a health professional about quitting aids rather than vaping.

The rules on who can legally buy a vape are on the legal vaping age page, and the national rules on nicotine strength and promotion are in vaping laws in Canada.