A supplier of vaping products says their items are safe but he agrees that the country has to do a better job in keeping material out of the hands of people who are underage.

The use of vaping has become rampant in our schools according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Alliance for the Control of Tobacco.

The head of corporate and regulatory affairs at Imperial Tobacco says they did years of research before going to market following the legalization of vaping.

Hundreds of people in the United States have reportedly fallen ill in connection with vaping, but Imperial’s Eric Gagnon says that situation has nothing to do with their product line.

He says none of their products have been identified in the reports by the FDA or any other health parties in the United States. He says their items do not contain THC or vitamin-E, and the company maintains that vaping has the potential to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

Gagnon says Imperial has a robust system in place to verify the age of a buyer.

He says each person is age-verified when they use their website, is age-verified before ordering, and age-verified at point of delivery.

He adds though, that it is not the case throughout the entire industry, and says people who sell vape products to minors should have to pay the penalty.