The Canadian government has banned the sale of nicotine pouches outside of pharmacies.
The move, which took effect on August 28, also includes strict advertising restrictions and a ban on certain flavours said to be targeted at young people.
All fruit flavours have been recalled, with only mint and tobacco flavours remaining on sale.
Health minister Mark Holland said: “There’s a couple of things that are going to happen. The first is these products are going to be moved behind the counter.
“The second thing is these nonsense flavours targeting our kids are gone, so Tropical Breeze and Cool Berry Splash, whatever they have, it’s over. Those products will be recalled and unavailable.”
A knock to smoking cessation
Although the ban is aimed at reducing the appeal of nicotine pouches to young people, critics argue it puts them further from the reach of smokers trying to quit.
The pouches are now only available behind the counter of chemists, and anyone buying them must speak to a pharmacist first.
Nicotine pouches, which were designed for smoking cessation, were approved for use in Canada in October last year and are regulated under the Food and Drugs Act.
Health Canada approved the sale of Zonnic, a flavoured nicotine pouch from Imperial Tobacco. According to the company’s website, Zonnic helps adult smokers quit by delivering nicotine to the body in a controlled manner.
The authorised 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.
Sweden’s success with snus
Nicotine pouches are similar to snus, which is popular in Sweden. The Scandinavian country has dramatically reduced its smoking levels by making safer nicotine alternatives widely available. Its smoking rate is set to dip below five per cent this year, when it will officially be declared a smoke-free country.
Until now, nicotine pouches have been available for sale across Canada including in convenience stores and petrol stations.
Nicotine pouches are not authorised for sale to people under 18 years old, but Health Canada has previously said that the pouches have become popular with youth and may lead to addiction.
The latest regulations come after the Netherlands and Belgium announced a ban on the sale of all types of nicotine pouches in November.
