Only use nicotine pouches to quit smoking, Health Canada warns

The federal government issued a public advisory Wednesday warning to only use nicotine pouches as a method to quit smoking and not recreationally.

The federal government issued a public advisory Wednesday warning to only use nicotine pouches as a method to quit smoking and not recreationally, the same day the minister of health vowed a crackdown on such products.

There is only one authorized nicotine pouch available in Canada, the brand Zonnic from Imperial Tobacco, but the government says unauthorized pouches are still being sold in convenience stores and gas stations.

Zonnic pouches are sold in colourful packages with flavours such as Polar Mint, Cranberry Fizz and Tropic Breeze.

The authorized pouch contains four milligrams of nicotine per dose, roughly the equivalent of three to four cigarettes, and is used by placing it in the mouth between the gums and the cheek or the upper or lower lip. There it releases nicotine into the system, similar to snus pouches popular in Sweden.

The notice reminds consumers that the pouches are only meant to help smokers quit and should not be used recreationally, that they are harmful to youth, and to not buy unauthorized pouches, which may contain unlisted ingredients.

“Using nicotine pouches in ways that have not been authorized, or using products that have not been authorized by Health Canada, may pose serious health risks, including the risk of addiction and nicotine overdose,” the notice reads.

The notice came as Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday that he is seeking regulation of such pouches and warned tobacco companies to “stay the hell away from our kids.”

“I am seeking authority to restrict products so they are solely for the purposes of cessation,” he said. “We shouldn’t see flavours that are targeting kids, flavours like ‘Winter Berry Splash.’ We all see through it, we all know what the intention is, and it’s over.