When scientists with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit began tracking the use of nicotine pouches among young Canadians in 2022, the product seemed like “a bit of a novelty,” researcher Michael Chaiton said.
Just four years later, use of the pouches in Canada has surged, according to new data released by the unit on Wednesday.
A longitudinal study, published by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, began tracking nicotine dependence and use patterns among 3,400 Canadians between the ages of 17 and 27 starting in 2020.
The most recent wave of data from 2026 shows that nearly 35 per cent of those surveyed said they had tried tobacco pouches, up from just 7.6 per cent in 2022. About nine per cent reported using the products within the past 30 days, up from just 1.3 per cent in 2022.
“That was a huge jump,” Chaiton, the head of the research unit and a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, told CP24.com.
“We’ve sort of heard anecdotally that there were increases in use of nicotine pouches, but we hadn’t seen the kind of level that it may be at (until now).”
In 2024, the federal government introduced new rules surrounding the products, requiring that nicotine pouches only be available behind pharmacy counters.
Imperial Tobacco’s nicotine pouch Zonnic is the only pouch currently approved by Health Canada.
The products, which are marketed in Canada as smoking cessation aids, have sparked concerns about recreational use among children.
“The issue is that they’re primarily or mostly being used recreationally, among people who aren’t trying to quit,” Chaiton said.
“For them, they don’t have the benefits of using them to switch off from cigarette smoking and that’s the real concern… Where we’re seeing the most use is among the youth and young adults.”
‘Highly addictive’
He noted that while the products are less harmful than smoking or vaping, they are still “highly addictive.”
“They also can lead to use of other nicotine products,” Chaiton said.
“They’re associated with experimentation of many different substances, and moving on particularly from nicotine pouches to something like cigarettes is where you get most of the harm.”
When asked why the products might be so attractive to younger users, Chaiton said advertising, particularly on social media, is part of it.
“It can have really high levels of nicotine delivery. It’s easy to use, it’s easy to hide, and it’s very discreet,” he said.
“So for those reasons, I think that a number of people have really taken it up, particularly young adults.”
Chaiton noted that the study found that there is a “much higher rate among boys and men” compared to women.
“That’s tied into kind of the cultural context in which they are being promoted and the advertising and the influencing around these products on social media,” he said.
Chaiton noted that enforcement of the current regulations has been a challenge.
“We are hearing anecdotal reports where people are purchasing them at convenience stores and gas stations where some retailers may have them available,” he said, adding that some are offering products with high levels of nicotine that are not legally permitted in Canada.
“Extraordinarily large amounts and different types of flavors that wouldn’t otherwise be allowed. So certainly, (we need) enforcement of the current laws… ensuring they’re out of gas stations and convenience stores, and as well as sort of online enforcement of sales.”
Alberta premier pushes for changes to rules
Since the federal government restricted the sale of the products in Canada, there has been a push by some convenience store chains and politicians, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, to expand where the products can be sold.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this year, Smith urged Ottawa to reconsider how it regulates the products.
“When a regulated alternative is more difficult to access than cigarettes, it sends the wrong signal and complicates efforts by adults working to lessen their dependence,” the letter read, adding that retail stores already sell “age-restricted nicotine products.”
An impact assessment conducted at the time the regulations were put in place said a “tailored regulatory approach” was necessary for tobacco pouches.
“Over the past decade, the ways in which (nicotine pouches and other nicotine replacement therapies) are marketed and sold have become increasingly similar to tobacco and vaping products,” the assessment read.
“Considering these risk factors together, a tailored regulatory approach focusing on (orally administered nicotine replacement therapies) is necessary to reduce the appeal of, access to, and use of these products by young people.”
With files from The Canadian Press
