Tobacco & Vaping 101: Alberta

Canadian lawmakers often face misinformation regarding adult smoking and vaping habits. This misinformation can lead to misguided legislation and regulation. The analysis provided contains current data on the use of cigarettes and e-cigarette products among adults and youth in Alberta, along with information on cigarette sales and provincial tobacco tax revenues.

Key Points: 

• In 2022, 441,828 individuals (12 percent) aged 15 or older in Alberta were currently smoking, a 46.4 percent increase from 2021. Smoking rates in the province are 9.6 percent higher than Canada’s national average.
• In 2022, 18.9 percent of persons in Alberta were formerly smoking and 69.1 percent reported having never smoked.
• Smoking rates were highest among adults aged 45 years or older, which was 24.8 percent higher than the overall provincial smoking rate, and 22.4 percent higher than the national average in the same age group.
• In 2022, 202,504 individuals (5.5 percent) in Alberta were using e-cigarettes, a 3.5 percent decrease from 2021. The provincial vaping rate is 5.3 percent lower than the national average of 5.8 percent.
• In 2021-22, 1.7 percent of Alberta youth in Grades 7 through 12 were smoking cigarettes, a 34.6 percent decline from 2018-19.
• In 2021-22, 14.8 percent of youth were vaping, a 25.6 percent decline from 2018-19. Vaping rates decreased by 12.2 percent for youth in Grades 7 through 9, and decreased by 31.9 percent for youth in Grades 10 through 12.
• In 2021-22, among youth using e-cigarettes, the most cited reason for using e-cigarettes was to “relax or relieve tension” as reported by 25.5 percent of youth. Only 7.8 percent reported using e-cigarettes because of flavours.
• In 2021, more than 2.3 billion cigarette units were sold in Alberta, a 15.7 percent decline from 2020, representing more than 442 million fewer cigarettes sold.
• Despite declining smoking rates, Alberta collected $755 million in provincial taxes from tobacco and vapor products in 2020-21, a 14.3 percent decrease from the previous year.