Allow nicotine pouch sales
Petitioners ask the Minister of Health to remove the pharmacy-only sales restriction and allow convenience stores to resume retail sales of nicotine pouches. The government responds that Health Canada’s order bars nicotine pouches from self-selection retail sales to limit youth access, while keeping adult NRT access and allowing future additions based on evidence.
Why we would sign this petition
- Restores adults' ability to buy nicotine pouches locally, increasing convenience for those using NRT.
- Easier retail access could help smokers quit by making NRT formats more available when needed.
- Allows small businesses that already sell age-restricted products to regain sales and serve customers responsibly.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Nicotine pouches' rising popularity among youth raises addiction and public health concerns that motivated sale restrictions.
- Health Canada notes limited evidence of appropriate use for pouches, so self-selection may be premature without more data.
- Regulatory limits aim to balance adult access and youth protection; lifting them could undermine those safeguards.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS: Many adult Canadians make use of nicotine pouches as a form of nicotine replacement therapy, which can help them quit tobacco smoking by relieving cravings and withdrawal symptoms; The Government of Canada has banned the sale of nicotine pouches from convenience stores, gas stations and online and will only allow pharmacies to sell the product behind the counter; Small businesses including convenience stores have a proven track record of responsibly selling age- restricted products, including nicotine replacement therapies; and This restriction takes away the freedom of choice from adult Canadians on where and how they access such products and will not prevent minors from accessing these products via the illicit market. THEREFORE: We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of Health to remove the restrictions on sales of nicotine pouches to only pharmacies and allow convenience stores to sell the product once again.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi Quitting smoking can be challenging, and Health Canada wants to ensure that any adult who uses nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a smoking cessation tool maintains access to NRT products. At the same time, however, there are concerns that NRT products, especially emerging formats like nicotine pouches, are becoming popular with youth, and that young people are particularly susceptible to nicotine’s addictive properties. Consequently, nicotine pouches and other NRT products are not authorized for recreational use or use by people under 18 years of age. To balance these priorities, Health Canada published the Supplementary Rules Respecting Nicotine Replacement Therapies Order on August 28, 2024. This order maintained access for adults using NRT products for smoking cessation, while also introducing measures that would ensure NRT products wouldn’t be easily accessed by young people. In particular, the order included requirements related to place of sale, flavours, packaging and labelling, and advertising for NRT products, responding to public health concerns about the availability, use and marketing of certain NRT products and their potential appeal to youth. The Supplementary Rules incorporate the List of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Dosage Forms that may be Accessible for Self-selection by Purchasers or Consumers, a document that sets out the NRT dosage forms that can be sold on a retail basis in self-selection areas because they have an established history of appropriate use. The list currently includes gums, lozenges, inhalers and sprays. NRT dosage forms not on the list, including nicotine pouches, are those with a limited history of appropriate use in Canada. This means that these dosage forms may not be sold in self-selection areas in retail settings including convenience stores. Over time, Health Canada may add an NRT dosage form to the list based on evidence submitted by a licence holder to support its history of appropriate use.