An industry offensive against nicotine pouches in Canada

Imperial Tobacco Canada has criticized the 2024 restriction of Zonnic nicotine pouches to pharmacies, in a lobbying campaign that includes petitions and websites with opaque funding. While the industry touts them as a smoking cessation tool, independent data shows that very few smokers actually use these highly addictive products to quit. Conversely, their use is increasing among non-smokers, particularly young people. Cynthia Callard, Executive Director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Flory Doucas, Co-Director of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, and Les Hagen, Executive Director of ASH Canada, are calling for an end to all promotion of these products and for their strict regulation.[1].

The tobacco industry promotes nicotine sachets, especially among young people and non-smokers.

Frank Silva, CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada, the country's largest tobacco manufacturer, criticizes Ottawa's decision to restrict the sale of Zonnic nicotine pouches to pharmacies only, effective 2024. He argues that this restriction will make quitting smoking "more difficult, not easier" for adult smokers and will push some of them toward the illegal market.

This stance is part of a broader industry campaign to weaken the regulatory framework: opinion pieces, full-page ads, official and unofficial petitions, the use of third parties, "astroturf" campaigns, and legal challenges are all on the rise. New websites, such as bringbackthepouches.ca, quitclub.com, and iwantmypouches.ca, are participating in this lobbying effort without clearly identifying their funding sources or having obvious ties to the tobacco company. Recently, a Conservative MP launched a major promotional campaign for Zyn sachets, a Swedish brand of nicotine pouches marketed by Philip Morris International, particularly on Canadian campuses.[2], in violation of one of the provisions of the WHO treaty which prohibits the promotion of any activity or product of a tobacco manufacturer.

In parallel, several studies highlight the increasing use of these products among young people. A study based on the Compass survey of Quebec high school students concludes that nicotine pouches are gaining popularity and could follow a trajectory similar to that of e-cigarettes. It indicates that 2.6% of the students surveyed used nicotine pouches in the month preceding the survey, almost as many as traditional cigarettes (3%). Their use increases significantly with age: secondary school students are three times more likely to use them than those in lower grades.

Data from the International Youth Smoking and Vaping Survey indicate that young people mainly use these sachets "for fun", "out of curiosity" or for their effects, and very rarely with the aim of quitting smoking.

The effectiveness of nicotine sachets for smoking cessation has not been established.

The authors point out that the data available in Canada do not confirm the effectiveness of nicotine pouches as a smoking cessation tool. The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) shows that, among the approximately two million smokers who attempted to quit in the past year, only 6 (117,000 people) used pouches.[3].

Among these users, the number of people reporting having actually quit smoking is too small to obtain robust data. Conversely, the failure rate of quit attempts is highest among users of pouches, at around 92%.

By comparison, smokers who have resorted to to scientifically validated treatments (patches, gums, inhalers, mouth sprays, cognitive behavioral therapy, prescription drugs such as bupropion and varenicline…) have failure rates ranging from 79 to 87 %, highlighting that despite their medical recognition, nicotine remains extremely addictive.

Call to maintain and strengthen the regulation of new products

In this context, the authors believe that the promotion of nicotine sachets essentially contributes to recruiting new users, particularly among non-smokers and young people.

They find it concerning that some federal politicians are echoing industry arguments and calling for a relaxation of regulations, even going so far as to publicly endorse products or launch petitions against current rules.

They are therefore calling for an end to political support for these campaigns, for maintaining the current framework for nicotine pouches by strengthening its enforcement, and for intensifying efforts to reduce all forms of nicotine consumption among young people, in particular vaping, which is still widespread.

Some countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia have also chosen to completely ban nicotine sachets, believing that these products contribute to fueling the global nicotine epidemic.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Guest column: Nicotine pouches are not helping Canadian smokers quit – despite Big Tobacco propaganda, Windsor Star, published March 16, 2026, accessed March 18, 2026

[2]Rahim Mohamed, Nicotine-pouch maker Zonnic unhappy that Conservative MP is promoting foreign Zyn competitor, National Post, published March 17, 2026, accessed March 18, 2026

[3]Nicotine Pouches are not helping Canadian smokers quit - no matter what Big Tobacco and their say allies, Action on Smoking & Health (ASH Canada), Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, published December 3, 2025, accessed March 19, 2026

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