Tobacco & Vaping 101: British Columbia

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 British Columbia, along with information on cigarette sales and provincial tobacco tax revenues.

Key Points: 

• In 2022, 401,419 individuals (8.7 percent) aged 15 or older in British Columbia were currently smoking, an 8.4 percent decrease from 2021. Smoking rates in the province are 22.4 percent lower than Canada’s national average.
• In 2022, 23.4 percent of persons in British Columbia were formerly smoking and 67.8 percent reported having never smoked.
• Smoking rates were highest among adults aged 45 years or older, which was 8.8 percent higher than the overall provincial smoking rate, but 25.7 percent higher than the national average in the same age group.
• In 2022, 216,858 individuals (4.7 percent) in British Columbia were using e-cigarettes, a 20.5 percent decrease from 2021. The provincial vaping rate is 21 percent lower than the national average of 5.8 percent.
• In 2021-22, 1.8 percent of British Columbia youth in Grades 7 through 12 were smoking cigarettes, a 30.8 percent decline from 2018-19.
• In 2021-22, 16 percent of youth were vaping, a 42 percent decline from 2018-19.
• In 2021-22, among youth using e-cigarettes, flavours were among the least cited reasons, as reported by only 6.8 percent of youth. Comparatively, 18.2 percent reported being addicted to them and 17.6 percent reported using them to “relax or relieve stress.”
• In 2021, more than 2.1 billion cigarette units were sold in British Columbia, an 11.1 percent decrease from 2020, representing 263.1 million fewer cigarettes sold.
• Despite declining smoking rates, British Columbia collected an estimated $711 million in provincial taxes from tobacco and vapor products in 2020-21, a 2.5 percent decrease from the previous year.