Health Minister Says She's Not Considering Looser Regulations on Nicotine Pouches

Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel says she is not considering changes to the regulations that restrict nicotine pouch sales in Canada, even as tobacco control groups warn the government needs to do more to curb the illicit market. Health Canada currently regulates nicotine pouches as a smoking-cessation aid: they are restricted to adults, cannot be sold for recreational use, and must be kept behind the counter at pharmacies as a Schedule 2 product requiring pharmacist intervention before purchase. The issue is directly relevant to community pharmacists, since Zonnic -- the only nicotine pouch brand Health Canada has authorized for sale, made by Imperial Tobacco -- is dispensed exclusively through pharmacies under these rules.

"That's not something I'm considering," Michel said Tuesday, responding to advertising and lobbying campaigns from Unsmoke Canada, part of Rothman, Benson and Hedges (the Canadian subsidiary of Philip Morris International), which is urging the federal government to allow pouch sales in retail stores similar to cigarettes. Michel said she agrees the illicit market is a real problem: pouches from brands like Zyn, also made by Philip Morris but not authorized for sale in Canada, are entering the country and reaching Canadian youth despite the current rules. "I cannot say that as a health minister, I can track every single package in the illicit market. That would be completely not serious for me to say that," she said, adding that her department favours a public health approach focused on education.

The National Post reported earlier in September that the federal government was open to loosening the regulations after convenience store industry lobbyists met with Prime Minister Mark Carney's chief of staff and other senior officials; Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives pledged to "free the Zyn" during the 2025 election campaign, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has separately argued the restrictions create barriers for adults trying to quit smoking. Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control and Action on Smoking and Health Canada said in a joint release that research shows nicotine pouch use is rising among young Canadians, and warned that easier retail access would make the product simpler for youth to obtain. Flory Doucas, co-director of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, said weak enforcement against illicit sales -- both online and in storefronts -- creates a narrative the tobacco industry can exploit to push for looser rules. Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, said the country needs a broader nicotine strategy covering both vapes and pouches, paired with meaningful enforcement.

Practice guidance for pharmacists

• Current federal rules are unchanged: nicotine pouches remain Schedule 2, sold only from behind the pharmacy counter with pharmacist involvement, and Zonnic remains the only Health-Canada-authorized brand -- don't act on reports of possible deregulation until an actual regulatory change is published.
• Be alert to patients asking for or presenting brands other than Zonnic (such as Zyn) -- these are not authorized for sale in Canada and their presence reflects the illicit market the minister and advocacy groups referenced, not a legitimate supply channel.
• Since pouches are positioned as a smoking-cessation aid, continue counselling within that frame -- appropriate use for adults trying to quit smoking, with the same caution around youth access and appeal that applies to other nicotine replacement products.
• Watch for policy developments given the active lobbying pressure on this file; a change to the behind-the-counter/Schedule 2 status would directly affect pharmacy dispensing workflows and would be worth flagging to your team early.

For now, the regulatory status quo holds: Michel's comments close the door, at least for the moment, on retail-store sales that industry groups have been pushing for, while public health advocates continue to press for stronger enforcement against the illicit products already reaching Canadian youth.