Should the Canadian government ban vaping?

If you don’t understand something, cancel it.

No, this is not another story about Don Cherry. But it does concern something at times annoying and potentially harmful: vaping.

According to a survey conducted by Research Co., three in four Canadians (74%) support temporarily prohibiting the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. Earlier this week Massachusettes became the most recent jurisdiction to enact a so-called vape ban.

The impetus is that we – health professionals; people smarter than you and I – don’t yet know the potential harm of electronic darts. Generally speaking, when something is new and popular among teens, you should question its right to exist.

Countless “well, actually” studies have been published recently regarding the dangers of vaping. There are so many conflicting opinions that, quite frankly, it’s difficult to know the truth. And that’s the point: maybe we should hit pause on putting e-cigarettes next to the gum until the smart people can determine if Juuling all day is all that advisable. Because, really, what’s the argument for vaping? That it’s not as bad as smoking cigarettes? That’s weaker than a pack of Winston’s.

And lest you forget, doctors used to endorse smoking. Perhaps in a few decades, when it turns out the long-term effects of vaping are gluten allergies and giving birth to three-headed babies, we will say we should have known better.