Wax pens: Increased use of high-concentration cannabis in some Quebec high schools
Drug addiction specialists are warning parents about a new and strong cannabis drug available online that is increasing in popularity among Quebec high school students.
The vaping cylinder, known as a 'wax pen,' contains wax that is a highly concentrated cannabis liquid with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
"We're talking about 97-99 per cent of THC [in the 'wax pens'], said Audrey-Ann Lecours, a clinical supervisor at drug prevention organization Action Toxicomanie.
"It's considerable if we consider that the products available at the Societe Quebecoise du Cannabis (SQDC), contain maximum concentrations of 30 per cent," she said.
Deeply inhaling higher concentrations of THC can cause serious side effects because of the way it acts on the brain and can create dependence more quickly than a low dose, Lecours explained.
"We've been hearing about them for about two, three years, but it was a marginal product," she said.
Over the last year, however, there's been a significant increase in consumption in high schools, a phenomenon witnessed firsthand by members of their prevention teams working in the field.
The 'wax pens' also go by other names, as detailed by Quebec's health ministry in 2019.
By any name, they seem to appeal to teenagers, experts say, because they come in different flavours, fruit or cotton candy, for instance, and come in packaging that makes them look like boxes of candy.
"One reason why it’s liked by kids is it’s discreet, you can smoke almost everywhere, it doesn’t smell, there’s no smoke," said Jean-Sebastien Fallu, an associate professor of psychoeducation at Universite de Montreal and a specialist in addiction.
STUDENTS PLAYING DANGEROUS GAMES
Experts are also concerned about a type of game kids are playing with 'wax-pens' which have a light that turns on when someone has taken a big puff.
"To be part of the gang, to show them I got my dose, I'll take the biggest puff possible," Lecours said, "and then between the students, there is the competition to see who will turn on the light the most."
But that intense dose can trigger serious side effects, including loss of consciousness, dizziness and vomiting, the organization's social workers and psychologists have reported.
Along with the immediate physical reactions, the student is also at risk of developing mental health problems.
"People assume the long-term problems that can develop for youth are only illnesses like schizophrenia, but "it also has an impact on brain development and can cause anxiety and depression, and we don't hear as much about that," said Lecours.
"It’s not black and white," said Fallu, noting the wax pens are legal in some parts of the United States for adults "and are probably better for the lungs and respiratory system because there's no smoke or tar," he said.
But he agrees with Lecours that because the small cannabis vapes are easy to hide and to use "and it’s so potent, you might quickly develop some tolerance," and with increased use, risk becoming addicted.
"One puff gets you high," he said, so the "new fad" here, needs some discussion at schools and in the home.
EASY ACCESS TO 'WAX PENS'
The slim devices, which are illegal in Quebec, can be easily purchased online through an Interac transaction after the teenager has clicked a box saying they're at least 21 years old.
For that reason, Action Toxicomanie has launched an awareness campaign for parents in the Mauricie and Centre-Quebec regions where they focus their prevention work.
"They should know that when teens have these products delivered by mail, they should pay attention to the contents because it might not just be a new video game," said Lecours.
"The business model for drug transactions today is not the same. They used to meet a drug dealer far from home."
"Now it's delivered right to your door," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.