Looking for nicotine pouches? Only pharmacies sell them now

Effective Wednesday, August 28, nicotine pouches were banned from convenience store and gas station shelves by order of federal Health Minister Mark Holland and will now be available only from behind pharmacy counters.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Sam DeSumma, the owner of Market Mall I.D.A. Pharmacy, in an interview with SooToday.  

“It gets it out of the hands of youth. If they're sold only in pharmacies we can counsel them about it, the dangers of nicotine and persuade them away from nicotine.”

Nicotine pouches, placed in the mouth between the gum and cheek, are tobacco-free and were authorized only as smoking cessation aids for individuals 18 and over. 

The federal government’s move comes in response to concerns from the medical community — including Algoma Public Health and groups such as Heart and Stroke and Canadian Cancer Society — about the rising recreational use of nicotine pouches among teens.

Health Canada authorized the use of one nicotine pouch brand — Imperial Tobacco Canada’s Zonnic — in July 2023. Nicotine pouches are sold in pocket-sized packs similar to mints that contain 10 or 24 pouches and originally came in a variety of flavours like Berry Frost, Chill Mint and Tropic Breeze.

Health Canada said it will ban all nicotine pouch flavours except mint and menthol and add health warnings to nicotine pouch packages.

Because the nicotine pouches fell under Natural Health Products Regulations (NHPR) they were available for purchase at convenience stores and gas stations with no minimum age requirements or regulations on packaging, flavouring or advertising.

“They were selling it that way because they didn’t contain tobacco. They came under ‘a natural supplement’ and that’s how they were able to sell it but now they (Health Canada) are curbing the nicotine and the ability to get it easily,” pharmacist DeSumma said. 

“We’ll stock them at the pharmacy if we see if there’s a demand for them as a nicotine replacement. At least we can screen the younger people, and that’s the concern. Our goal is to use it as a nicotine replacement therapy for adults and keep it out of the hands of the youth.”

No prescription will be required for the pouches.

“We would keep it in the dispensary, we would talk to them first about it, ask them who it is for, make sure they’re 18 and over, talk to them about the use of it and potential side effects. We can screen these people and see if they’re 18 and over, give them counselling on nicotine replacement and if they’re looking for smoking cessation aids it will give us an opportunity to advise them about other smoking cessation options as well,” DeSumma said.

“Effective regulation of nicotine products is essential to protect youth from developing nicotine dependency,” wrote Dr. John Tuinema, Algoma Public Health acting Medical Officer of Health and CEO, in an email to SooToday.

“Prior to Health Canada’s announcement last week, nicotine pouches were available for purchase with no minimum age requirement and no regulations on marketing. The available flavours, packaging, and advertising were appealing to youth. Nicotine pouches — similar to vaping devices — have the potential to create a generation of non-smokers who are dependent on nicotine which increases the likelihood of using vaping or tobacco products in the future.” 

APH had expressed its concerns over recreational use of nicotine pouches by youth at an APH board meeting in April.

“A public health approach to substance use must take multiple approaches to be effective. These approaches include policy action, such as this decision to introduce regulatory controls for nicotine pouches, evidence-informed community action (such as by-laws and local substance use policies), and prevention efforts focusing on children and youth that prioritize healthy relationships, positive mental wellbeing, and emphasize social support networks,” Tuinema wrote.

The Circle K convenience store chain was among those who had nicotine pouches on their shelves for sale.

Circle K representatives did not respond to SooToday requests for comment. 

Tuinema pointed to the availability of the STOP online smoking cessation program that includes free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches, gum or lozenges mailed to a person’s address.  

That website can be accessed here.