EDMONTON

A smoker for 25 years, Erin Woodford says there’s no way she could have quit cigarettes if not for the help of vaping.

“I have tried quitting numerous times. I tried the pills, I tried the patch, I tried the gum, I tried cold turkey and none of those things worked for me,” said Woodford, who officially quit smoking cigarettes 11 weeks ago. “For the very first time, when I picked up vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes, I felt like it was an achievable goal.”

Following a lengthy debate at City Hall Monday, the smoke has still not cleared on whether e-cigarettes should be banned in public spaces. The city’s current smoking bylaw doesn’t apply to e-cigarettes and the sale and health implications of them fall under the jurisdiction of the province.

Councillors heard from a panel of speakers at the community services committee meeting — including people who have recently quit smoking thanks to the use of e-cigarettes, representatives from the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta, and Alberta Health Services medical officer Dr. Chris Sikora — but failed to arrive at any consensus on whether e-cigarettes should be treated the same as traditional cigarettes.

In December 2014, Coun. Andrew Knack called on city administration to compile a report outlining some basic details about electronic cigarettes, including information about health risks and benefits.

But the only definitive answer the report produced was that there is no definitive evidence on the effects of vaping.

“The science is inconclusive, we don’t have the studies to determine whether the product is safe or not,” said Knack, adding it’s still important to debate the topic despite the lack of evidence. “Just because something is unknown doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be discussing it. This is a good health conversation. Right now, you can smoke them on a bus. Is that appropriate? I’m not sure yet.”

Kayla Atkey, from the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta, says the proliferation of smoking e-cigarettes in public is re-normalizing smoking behaviours in society.

“When children see someone who is smoking an e-cigarette, it’s hard to differentiate between whether that’s an e-cigarette or an actual cigarette, and we know that modelling behaviour significantly influences children’s behaviour and health habits,” said Atkey.

But Woodford says if “vapers” are lumped into the came category of traditional smokers, and are forced to smoke e-cigarettes in the same places smokers are required to, the likelihood of a relapse increases ten-fold.

“I quit smoking for a reason,” said Woodford. “I don’t want to smoke because I don’t want those carcinogens, I don’t want that second-hand smoke any more than anybody else does.”

The debate on e-cigarettes will be picked up by city council at the next council meeting on April 13.

Trevor.robb@sunmedia.ca

@SunTrevorRobb