ESSEX -- There's a call for the provincial government to ban the promotion and marketing of vaping products.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is making the request just weeks after news of a serious vaping related illness in London as well as hundreds of cases in the U.S, including seven deaths.
Manager of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Eric Nadalin, says they want the province to amend the Smoke Free Ontario Act to ban the promotion of vaping products online and in retail stores.
Nadalin tells CTV News rules around vaping products should be the same as tobacco.
"We want to protect young people from the dangers of tobacco smoke and we know we don't want young people vaping, so for that population the same types of regulations in terms of display and promotion of these products should apply," argues Nadalin.
A survey done for Health Canada found one in five high school students report using vaping products.
Nadalin tells CTV News they have issued 25 vaping charges this year to area high school students, in addition to 11 charges issued to vendors who allegedly sold vaping products to minors under 19 years of age.
The health unit also wants to see flavoured vaping products banned.
"We promote any restrictions that would reduce access to those types of products," says Nadalin.
But Kurt Klem, the owner of Big Dog Vapory in Essex, feels a ban on flavoured products is a mistake.
"It would definitely hurt my business for sure, all vape shops, it would hurt their business," says Klem. "We're all adults and if you're 19 and up why can't you have flavours? You can go to the liquor store and get cotton candy vodka, chocolate vanilla liqueur, so why can't you get it in a vape shop?"
The production of fruit and dessert flavours was halted Thursday by Juul, the largest e-cigarette brand in the United States.
