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Nicotine Pouches Flood Stores Despite Ban
3 Dec
Summary
- Outlawed nicotine pouches in high doses and fun flavors are sold in convenience stores.
- Federal regulations from August 2024 aimed to restrict sales to pharmacies.
- Experts warn flavored pouches are attracting Canadian youth, with five percent trying them.
Outlawed nicotine pouches, featuring high dosages and appealing flavors, remain accessible in convenience stores across Canada, undermining new federal regulations implemented in August 2024. These regulations intended to restrict sales exclusively to pharmacies, with only one brand legally authorized. However, investigations reveal the availability of popular U.S. brands in unauthorized fruity flavors and dosages as high as 15 milligrams.
Health experts express deep concern, noting that these products, marketed with flavors like gummy bear and cola, are disproportionately attracting Canadian youth. Data suggests approximately five percent of Canadian youth, around 100,000 individuals, have tried nicotine pouches. This trend is particularly worrying given nicotine's addictive nature and its potential impact on adolescent brain development.
While Health Canada has initiated compliance actions, including product seizures and retailer warnings, the illicit trade persists. Police forces generally report a lack of awareness, with Montreal being a noted exception. The discreet nature and potent nicotine delivery of these pouches make them attractive to young people, raising alarms about escalating addiction risks and the need for more robust regulatory oversight to prevent youth uptake.
