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smoking, the benefits and harms of e-cigarette use remain highly debated in the research community [6–8]. Some studies report the use of e-cigarettes as an effective smoking cessation tool, whereas others argue that it can lead to the introduction of tobacco cigarette smoking [6, 7, 9]. Additionally, e-cigarettes have been associated with a decline in overall health, including lung tissue damage, worse cardiovascular health outcomes and increased inflammatory responses [10–12]. Although none in Canada, some international studies have also shown positive associations between risky behaviors such as the use of illicit drugs, marijuana, alcohol and e-cigarette use [13–22]. Consequently, increased concerns have arisen among substance use researchers since recent e-cigarette designs have grown to accommodate illicit substances. A study conducted by Breitbarth (2018) utilizing online illicit drug forums reported that many illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, have the potential to be vaporized via an e-cigarette, a practice gaining traction among drug users [5]. Up until 2017, the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotin Up until 2017, the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine was considered illegal in Canada, but non-nicotine e-cigarettes were legal and widely available to the public [23]. However, in an effort to reduce the consumption of traditional cigarettes, nicotine vaping alternatives were legalized by the Canadian government in 2018 under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) for adults over the age of 18 [24]. The TVPA also placed restrictions on the use of marketing practices such as interesting shapes and flavors, that make e-cigarettes attractive to younger populations, in order to limit their appeal to youth [25]. Given the strong association between factors such as fruit and candy flavourings [26, 27] and ‘sleek’ designs of e-cigarettes [28] on youth and young adults’ motivation towards smoking e-cigarettes, such restrictions should prove beneficial in the coming years. In Canada, the ever and past 30-day use of e-cigarettes has consistently increased over the past few years. From 2013 to 2015, the ever use of e-cigarette increased from 9 to 13% in the overall population aged 15 years and older, while the past 30-day use increased from 2 to 3% [29, 30]. More importantly, during the same time period, the rates of past 30-day use of e-cigarettes almost doubled for youth and young adults (3% in youth aged 15–19 in 2013 to 6% in 2015; 4% in young adults aged 20–24 to 6% in 2015), and rates of ever using e-cigarettes increased by 30% in youth aged 15 to 19 and 50% for young adults aged 20 to 24. [29, 30]. Despite the popularity of e-cigarettes among youth and young adults, there is a lack of nationally representative studies on its use within those age groups. Additionally, there is limited awareness surrounding the concomitant use of illicit drugs and e-cigarettes in young Canadians. Given the concrete relationship between the use of illegal substances and the traditional tobacco cigarettes [31, 32], it is important to know whether similar associations exist between illegal substance use and e-cigarettes. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to confirm the prevalence and assess the characteristics associated with e-cigarette use among youth and young adults in Canada, with a specific focus on its association with substances such as illicit drugs, marijuana and alcohol.The secondary data analysis for this study was based on the 2017 version of the Canadian Tobacco Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS), sponsored by Health Canada and conducted by Statistics Canada every 2 years. The CTADS is a national cross-sectional survey that aims to collect data on tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, and contribute knowledge on risky behaviours within the Canadian population, with a specific focus on younger populations. For the 2017 cycle of CTADS, data collection was initiated on February 1st, 2017 and ended on December 31st, 2017. The target population consisted of individuals aged 15 and above and residing in the 10 Canadian provinces. Full-time residents of institutions and those living in the three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) were not included in the survey. The survey was conducted using a specialized sample design which included a two-phase stratified random sampling of telephone numbers. Those without telephones or cellphones were not recruited for the study, however survey estimates have been applied to include those without landlines and cellular phones. Participation in the survey was voluntary and data were collected directly from the survey respondent. Additionally, missing or inconsistent information was handled by Statistics Canada through various types of editing to ensure logical relationship between responses. A more