i ALI CRANE photo Kevin Murray, manager of Vancouver’s City Cigar Emporium at 888 W 6th Ave., enjoys a mint-flavoured disposable electronic cigarette. E-cig regulation needed: VCH Concerns arise over availability of the flavoured faux nicotine sticks By ALI CRANE ome e-cigarette users might have to butt out soon due to a recent call from Vancouver Coastal Health to regulate the industry. In simple terms, an e-cigarette is a miniaturized vapourizing heating ele- ment, said Bill Newton of City Cigar Emporium at 888 W 6th Ave. It turns a glycerin-based liquid into a heated vapour. Physically it looks like a normal cigarette except the tip is im- planted with a blue or red LED light. Presently, the industry is largely un- regulated. The devices can be pur- chased by people of all ages and can be used in non-smoking areas. Dr. Meena Dawar of Vancouver Coastal Health said their use should be restricted in the same fashion as tobac- co. “Our concerns are that users don’t know what they are getting,” Dawar said. “We think their use should be regu- lated for consumer safety, as well as for protecting the rights of non-users.” Newton said currently it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes with nicotine in Cana- da, but it’s very easy to acquire them. He also said e-cigarettes with nico- tine were initially legally available, but Health Canada soon took steps to change that. Vancouver Coastal Health noted concerns over the availability of e-ciga- rettes to minors. Dawar said smoking them could po- tentially indoctrinate youth early on into smoking culture. Newton disagreed. “lve seen far less people smoking, whether it be an e-cigarette product or not,” he said. “Young people are savvy. If they hear smoking is bad they will do a little research into it.” Newton said that smokers deal with two factors that make it hard to quit. One, the nicotine addiction, and two, the habitual physical routine of using a cigarette. That’s what makes electronic cigarettes so popular, he said. Dawar said the usefulness of e-ciga- rettes as a method of quitting is debat- able. “We obviously want smokers to quit smoking, tobacco is way more harm- ful,” she said. “However, the evidence around use of e-cigarettes as a success- ful quitting device is minimal at this point.” Dawar recommends that people try- ing to quit smoking attempt nicotine replacement therapy, as studies into the safety and health effects of e-ciga- rettes are still ongoing. DR. MEENA DAWAR Vancouver Coastal Health 66 Our concerns are that users don’t know what they are getting Puffing on some pot while perusing possible pizzas Smokers with a medical marijuana license now have a place to toke up and eat pizza, or combine both By JEREMY MATTHEWS new pizza parlour at 646 King- Ae is using a special ingredient: arijuana. Mega ill provides medically licensed patrons with a place to smoke pot and eat whole-wheat pizza. Co-founder and president Mike Klokeid was inspired to open the busi- ness after using marijuana once he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Also the owner of the iMedikate marijuana dispensary at 6128 Fraser St., Klokeid sends his patients to Mega ill to have their pot in peace and com- fort. The building’s decor has not changed significantly since it was purchased and converted into a restaurant, but huge metal ventilation pipes serve to funnel out the fumes. “We thought it was important to have good ventilation for our custom- ers,” Klokeid said. The black walls and dark atmo- sphere serve to relax users, he added. Patrons declined to speak to The Voice. Klokeid described the eclectic menu as having “some international flavours, some traditional with a twist.” He said hemp hearts are key to healthy pizza. The shelled seeds have recently en- tered the mainstream and are available at stores like Costco, he said. The pizzas themselves can also be infused with cannabis using a special baking process. In the six weeks since their opening, Mega ill has catered to busy crowds, Klokeid said. “People are coming back and bring- ing their family and friends.” Klokeid said they are targeting ag- gressive expansion in the next five years, hoping for 15 locations in west- ern Canada and the U.S. Employee Jesse Sindayen, preparing fresh pizzas, wsaid that Mega ill is a “cool place.” The restaurant is open 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a minimum entry age of 18. JEREMY MATTHEWS photo Mike Klokeid, co-founder and president of Mega ill at 646 Kingsway, opened the pizzeria for medically lis- cenced pot users after he was diagnosed with diabetes. Midwives push for B.C. funds Province declined funding for internationally trained practitioners to work in Canada two years ago By MEGAN BOBETSIS Ihe Midwives Association of B.C. is asking for government help. Their goal is to increase the number of registered midwives and make midwifery more popular. But they need the money to do it. The MABC has released a $20-mil- lion plan to fully integrate midwives into B.C.’s health care system. The plan also includes raising the number of midwife-assisted births from 17 per cent to 35 per cent by 2020. In the past, the four-year midwifery program offered at UBC had graduated only 10 midwives at a time. The program was expanded in 2012 to allow the first graduating class of 20 in 2017. “Some of the growth is happening naturally, some of it needs to be sup- ported by funding the international stream,” said Ganga Jolicoeur, execu- tive director of the MABC. She said the Province needs to support a pro- gram that will allow midwives who have stud- ied abroad to be { recognized as GANGA JOLICOEUR practitioners in Executive B.C. director of MABC A similar pi- lot program was paid for by the federal government, but ended in B.C. two years ago when the Province chose not to continue the funding. There are currently 220 active mid- wives in B.C, Jolicoeur said. She said the association would like to see that number rise by 26 midwives per year from now until 2020. Midwives could save B.C. $60 million by 2020 because they have a lower cae- sarean section rate in their births, and free up hospital beds when their clients choose to give birth at home, she said. Judith Don- aldson teaches in the integrat- ed energy-heal- ing program at Langara College and worked as a registered mid- wife for nearly 40 years. JUDITH DONALDSON “T just fell in Langara teacher, love with the former midwife whole process of birthing and the strength women have in doing [midwifery],” she said. Jolicoeur said midwifery gives wom- en the chance to form a more intimate bond with their care provider while feeling educated and empowered. “One of the main principles of mid- wifery care is ... making sure that women feel really informed about what their choices are,” she said. Donaldson said she believes more women are opening themselves up to midwifery, but some still prefer con- ventional maternity care. “There’s still a very strong stream of women who want to have the epidural the moment they walk into the hospi- tal,” she said. Jolicoeur said many women don’t know that it is covered by the B.C. MSP and that births can be scheduled at home or in the hospital.