Tobacco & Vaping 101: Quebec

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 Prince Edward Island, along with information on cigarette sales and provincial tobacco tax revenues.

Key Points: 

• In 2022, 897,943 individuals (12.3 percent) aged 15 or older in Quebec were currently smoking, a 0 percent change from 2021. Smoking rates in the province are 12.1 percent higher than Canada’s national average.
• In 2022, 28.1 percent of persons in Quebec were formerly smoking and 59.7 percent reported having never smoked.
• Smoking rates were highest among adults aged 45 years or older, which was 8.6 percent higher than the overall provincial smoking rate, and 8.6 percent higher than the national average in the same age group.
• In 2022, 459,922 individuals (6.3 percent) in Quebec were using e-cigarettes, a 5 percent increase from 2021. The provincial vaping rate is 6.6 percent higher than the national average of 5.8 percent.
• In 2021-22, 1.3 percent of Quebec youth in Secondary I through Secondary II were smoking cigarettes, a 50 percent decline from 2018-19.
• In 2021-22, 19.5 percent of youth were vaping, a 16.8 percent increase from 2018-19. Vaping rates increased by 7.4 percent for youth in Secondary I, and by 20.1 percent for youth in Secondary II.
• In 2021-22, among youth using e-cigarettes, among the least cited reasons for using e-cigarettes was flavours, as reported by only 9.3 percent of youth. Comparatively, 18.4 percent reported being addicted to them and 17.6 percent who used them to because they enjoyed them.
• In 2021, more than 5.8 billion cigarette units were sold in Quebec, a 6.3 percent decline from 2020, representing 394.9 million fewer cigarettes sold.
• Despite declining smoking rates, Quebec collected over $971 million in provincial taxes from tobacco and vapor products in 2020-21, a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.