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al. (2015) found that males were almost twice more likely than females to report openness to smoking [50], which when combined with greater social acceptability of e-cigarette smoking [51] might give some insight into why males have greater odds of being e-cigarette smokers when compared to females. However, future research efforts should be directed towards understanding the motivations towards e-cigarette smoking among both sexes. The present study has several strengths. To our knowledge this is the first study to look at illicit drug, marijuana and alcohol use and their association with e-cigarette use among Canadians aged 15–24. The results of this study are nationally representative and can be used by future studies to assess and track changes in e-cigarette use. Given the changing landscape of e-cigarette use in Canada, multifaceted factors might play a role in its uptake by the Canadian youth. The comprehensive list of covariates used in this study will help deconstruct the complex nature of e-cigarette use and its associated factors within the younger Canadians and aid in the development of specific and targeted policies around its use. Although novel, this study had a few limitations. Due to the design of the survey, important demographic variables such as socioeconomic status and ethnicity were not reported in this study. There was also scarce information on the use of e-cigarettes for smoking illicit drugs included under the illicit drugs category, therefore the authors were unable to examine how many illicit drug users were using e-cigarettes to smoke illegal substances. Additionally, the exclusion of the three territories from the survey may have affected the representation of some indigenous people in this study. As of the 2016 Canadian Census, 6.8% of the Inuit population, 0.8% of the Métis population and 2.1% of the First Nations population in Canada resided in these territories [52]. As frequently known for all cross-sectional studies, the design of this study prevents any causative interpretation. Finally, the self-reported nature of the CTADS survey can draw a possibility for information bias, Overall, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first nationally representative data to shed light on the use and characteristics associated with current e-cigarettes exclusively targeted to capture young Canadians’ habits. Illicit drug use approached significance with past 30-day e-cigarette use. Additionally, factors such as using marijuana and alcohol in the past year, having others in the household who smoke, being a current smoker, being male and between the ages of 15–21 were all significantly associated with current e-cigarette smoking in youth. The results of this study further elucidate patterns and risk factors before the TVPA was introduced into legislation, allowing for an accurate baseline which can be used for future studies. Given the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes among young users, this study identifies characteristics which can be carefully observed and easily targeted by public health professionals. With the growing popularity of alcohol, marijuana and illicit drug use among young Canadians, the results from this study, which illustrate the concomitant use of e-cigarettes with these substances, highlight the importance of investigating the possible misuse of e-cigarettes in facilitating substance use. This could be done through surveys such as the CTADS or qualitatively. While it is possible that these trends may decline as the novelty of e-cigarettes and vape pens subsides in the coming years, however, efforts must be made to track use among this cohort closely and implement policy interventions pre-emptively to prevent massive surges in e-cigarette use among youth. While stricter bans on sale of e-cigarettes may seem like the appropriate route, they may not be as efficacious in preventing youth from smoking e-cigarettes [53]. Given that perceptions and beliefs about smoking can play an important role in determining experimentation and habitual e-cigarette smoking behaviors [27], appropriate knowledge dissemination and awareness programs geared towards informing youth about the harms of use, may prove more beneficial. Finally, in light of the role that appealing flavors and designs of e-cigarettes play in determining e-cigarette smoking among youth, restrictions on marketing practices as placed by the TVPA is a step in the right direction. Although it is evident that drug culture is continuously evolving alongside technology, further investigations into reducing hazardous behaviours are needed to prevent the burden of disease from growing among young Canadians. We are grateful for the participants of the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) cycle 201 and Statistics Canada, who developed and implemented the CTADS survey. This research was supported by funds to the Canadian Research