What parents need to know about nicotine pouches that have drawn concerns in Canada

Nicotine pouches with candy-like flavours have captured the attention of health advocates and government officials who fear youth may become addicted to them in Canada.

Nicotine pouches with candy-like flavours have captured the attention of health advocates and government officials who fear youth may become addicted to them in Canada.

In the United States, sales have soared for Zyn, a tobacco-free nicotine pouch made by Philip Morris, with about 350 million cans that have shipped in 2023, CNN reported.

While Philip Morris says Zyn isn't available in Canada, the B.C. government last Wednesday announced new regulations to make it harder for minors to buy Zonnic, another brand of nicotine pouches sold by Imperial Tobacco Canada since October.

The regulations now require the nicotine pouches to be sold behind a pharmacy counter rather than on convenience store shelves. Each Zonnic pouch has four milligrams of nicotine, which is the same amount of nicotine typically absorbed by a person who smokes three to four cigarettes. The pouches are sold in flavours such as tropic breeze, chill mint and berry frost. 

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said experts are concerned about the "youth appeal" of Zonnic's colourful packaging and marketing, and the "concerning trend" of youth using smoking cessation products recreationally.

Canada approved Zonnic's sale in July 2023 as a licensed natural health product for nicotine replacement therapy, meaning there are no restrictions on who can buy it and minors could buy them legally, Dix and health advocates noted.

"Their distribution needs to be limited and targeted to those looking to lessen their dependency on nicotine, not create new addictions, especially among young people," Dix said at a news conference last week.