The WaxPen or cannabis vaping
In this info sheet
The WaxPen is a vape that contains a high concentration of cannabis.
Using a WaxPen involves several risks such as cannabis addiction. The WaxPen is not sold by the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC). It is illegal to sell them in Québec. However, many young people have or have access to a WaxPen.
As a parent, you can influence your teen’s choices related to using vaping products. Delaying as much as possible the age your teen first tries using cannabis or starts regularly using it will greatly reduce the negative effects this substance has on their health.
To better understand
What is a WaxPen?
In Québec, the WaxPen refers to a vape containing liquid cannabis. It’s good to know that elsewhere, this term is used to describe a device made for using cannabis in wax form.
Cannabis is a psychoactive substance, i.e. it has a direct effect on the nervous system. For example, cannabis use can alter thoughts, mood and behaviours.
Why do some young people use cannabis?
The main reason given by young people is to reduce their level of stress. For pleasure, out of curiosity and to fit in are other common reasons for teen use of cannabis.
Is it legal to vape cannabis in Québec?
In Québec, all age groups must respect the laws regulating the products contained in vapes. The sale of cannabis vapes is not authorized in the province.
It is also legally forbidden to sell vaping products, regardless of what substance the vape contains, to minors or to adults who intend to give the product to a minor person.
It’s important to know that in Québec :
- Only cannabis from the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) is legal.
- Since 2020, only people 21 years of age or more may buy cannabis
- The maximum concentration of THC, the active substance in cannabis, is 30%.
Other Canadian provinces legally sell products with a very high concentration of cannabis, such as vaping liquids. These liquids can be two to three times more concentrated than those sold at the SQDC.
How to differentiate a WaxPen from a nicotine vape?
It’s difficult to identify the substance used by just looking at the vape. Teens therefore sometimes use the same vape to use cannabis as the one they use for nicotine. Lastly, the WaxPen does not release the characteristic odour of cannabis smoked in a joint or tobacco smoke, which makes it difficult to identify the substance used.
For more information on nicotine vaping, see our Info Sheet on the topic.
What are the risks of using a WaxPen?
Using a WaxPen involves many risks.
- The risks related to cannabis
Cannabis addiction is more frequent in people who began using it during adolescence, since their brain is still developing.
Cannabis use can affect:
- Learning;
- Memory;
- Attention span;
- Decision making;
- Response time;
- Mental health.
Using cannabis every week is also associated with academic problems. Using high concentrations of cannabis is also associated with heart problems and toxic psychoses.
- The risks related to vaping
While vaping, chemical substances are inhaled into the lungs and the respiratory system can be affected by this, for example, onset of:
- Coughing;
- Feeling out of breath;
- Mucous in the respiratory tract.
The effects of vaping on the body in the intermediate and long-term are still not well understood. However, that doesn’t mean that the WaxPen is safe. Remember that it took several decades to show that cigarettes caused cancer.
Given the uncertainty, it’s preferrable to take a cautious approach by abstaining from using cannabis vaping products, whether from a legal or an illegal source.
The ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux has issued a warning against using cannabis vaping products (French only).
To learn more, watch this video on communicating with your teen about the WaxPen (French only).
To discuss the WaxPen with your teenager aged 14 and over, watch the following clips:
According to the 2018-2019 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS), 6.3% of teens in secondary school had vaped cannabis in Québec.
According to the Government of Canada (2024), when use begins during adolescence, one user out of six will develop a cannabis addiction.
To better support
Communication
- Prepare yourself before having a conversation with your teen: what message do you want them to hear? Choose a time when your teen and you are both calm and able to have a conversation together. We invite you to take a look at our video on the subject, which offers a number of ideas on how to talk about this issue with your teen.
- Establish a warm atmosphere in which your teen will feel at ease about confiding in you or asking you questions about cannabis vaping.
- Talk to your teen about how they see vaping: their knowledge, fears, beliefs around this topic. You can ask them whether people they hang around with vape and how they see it.
- Thank your teen for being honest with you if they say they’ve already tried the WaxPen or if your teen admits to regularly vaping cannabis.
- Whether or not your teen vapes, ask them:
- Whether they are aware of the risks of vaping cannabis.
- Whether they know strategies for declining an offer to vape.
Supervision/Guidance
- Support the school in applying their code of conduct and response protocol.
- Express your disapproval of your teen’s use of a WaxPen, without dramatizing trying out a WaxPen.
- If your teen uses a WaxPen, ask them what motivates them to use it, express your concerns about their use and clearly identify your disapproval with regard to frequent use.
Support
- With your teen, identify ways they can relax and enjoy themselves. This may be through being active, achieving their potential, socializing, enjoying themself, etc. These are healthy alternatives to vaping and using substances.
- Support your teen when they are going through stressful situations. Talk with your teen about the sources of stress and ways they can cope. For more information, see our info sheet on the topic.
- Help your teen believe in their ability to decline offers to use substances from the people they hang out with or, if your teen wants, to reduce or stop their own use.
- If your teen wants, you can accompany them in the process of quitting cannabis vaping by contacting a school counsellor or psychosocial services at your CLSC.
At home
- As a parent, become aware of how your own consumption behaviour and what you say influence your teen.
- Be an example for your teen by not vaping in their presence and by having a healthy lifestyle.
Resources and practical tools
For support
General resources
If you are concerned about a situation, do not hesitate to reach out to a support worker or a healthcare professional:
Specialized resources
- Drugs: Help and referral help line available 24/7 for users and their loved ones.
- Cana-coach mobile app to support young people who are wondering about their cannabis use or who want to change it. (French only)
- Throughout the Montérégie territory, there are addiction prevention organizations. Contact the organization in your city to get support. (French only)
To learn more
References
Généreux, M. (2023). Enquête sur la santé psychologique des 12-25 ans. Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Estrie – Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke.
Gouvernement du Canada. (2019, 19 décembre). Résumé des résultats de l’Enquête canadienne sur le tabac, l’alcool et les drogues chez les élèves 2018-2019.
Gouvernement du Canada. (2024, 3 avril). Accoutumance au cannabis.
Gouvernement du Québec. (2017, 13 septembre). Connaitre les drogues et leurs effets.
Gouvernement du Québec. (2023, 2 août). Loi concernant la lutte contre le tabagisme : mesures concernant les produits de vapotage.
Gouvernement du Québec. (2024, 27 mars). Encadrement du cannabis au Québec.
Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (2016, 14 novembre). Effets sur la santé de la consommation de cannabis.
Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (2022, 24 novembre). Vapotage de nicotine et de cannabis : identifier et comprendre les risques pour la santé.
Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. (2019, 20 novembre). Mise en garde contre le vapotage de cannabis.
Valleriani, J., Maghsoudi, N., Nguyen-Dang, M., Lake, S., Thiessen, M., Robinson, J. et Pavlova, D. (2018). Éducation sensée au sujet du cannabis. Une référence pour l’éducation des jeunes. Étudiant.es canadien.nes pour les politiques éclairées sur les substances psychoactives.
This info sheet has been produced with the financial support of the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and has been written in collaboration with:
- Satellite, addiction prevention organization
Latest updates : august 2024
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