An Interior MLA has tabled new legislation to take e-cigarettes out of the hands of school kids.
On Thursday, Kamloops-South Thompson member Todd Stone introduced the Vulnerable Adolescents Protection from E-cigarettes Act.
"If you talk to any teacher, any parent, and a lot of these kids, they will tell you it's rapidly becoming a worrying addiction."
If passed, the VAPE Act would make it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to minors. It would also outlaw the sale of flavored vape juice in an effort to make the products less appealing to teenagers.
"The challenge is the vape juice that is used most of the time contains, not just kids friendly flavoring like gummy bear, candy cane, and so forth, but also contains nicotine in most cases."
According to Health Canada, one in three Canadian students between grades 10 and 12 has at least tried vaping. It's a concerning statistic for Stone, who is himself a father of three.
"As a legislator, but also as a father, I see this as a tremendous window of opportunity to try and do something that will be good for our kids and really focus on their health moving forward."
Stone says the bill has received support from both sides of the aisle. However, it now falls to the NDP government to decide when the act will be debated in legislature.