The Canadian news site La Presse wants you to be afraid of nicotine pouches. However, their recent article merely underlines the need for pragmatic regulation of the harm-reduction product.
La Presse is a Montreal-based, French-language news outlet with a long history. The paper turned 140 this year, and although it's an entirely online enterprise these days, a little more than a decade ago, it had a circulation of 200,000 physical copies.
The paper caters towards a left-wing, middle-class audience. It’s a bit like a French-Canadian Guardian, with all the good and bad that comes with that comparison.
The La Presse editors and readers state the paper is liberal. But it’s that funny type of modern liberalism that shows scant regard for consumer choice and freedom, the type that doesn’t see individuals as rational actors capable of making decisions in their own best interest.
So, let’s take a look at what La Presse has to say about nicotine pouches in their latest article.
La Presse on pouches
The main thrust of La Presse’s piece on nicotine pouches focuses on a few core issues, many of which are all too familiar.
#1. Youth use
The author claims “young people are increasingly turning to these pouches for recreational purposes”, yet they don’t cite any research or statistics to back up this claim or put it into context for their readers.
Instead, they quote a 24-year-old who says American influencers introduced him to the product.
Additionally, La Presse states that:
The popularity of nicotine pouches internationally has led the COMPASS project, which studies adolescent health in Quebec, to include this trend in its 2024 study. The survey was conducted among 50,000 high school students, and it ended in June, but the results are still being analysed.
I’ve read a lot of people fretting about youth use of nicotine pouches in Canada. Yet, these neurotic outbursts are strictly of the anecdotal, trust me, bro variety. Either way, when the COMPASS results are released, expect teen “ever use” of pouches to hit the headlines.
#2. Grey market availability
The author of the piece did a little investigative journalism. The thesis was essentially about how easy it is for an adult to find black-market nicotine pouches. As it turns out, it’s not that hard to do. They found three tobacconists in the Montreal region who sold them “nicotine pouches in concentrations of 6, 10 and 15 mg.”
Of course, there is a Health Canada-approved nicotine pouch. ZONNIC is limited to a mere 4mg per pouch, and depending on the region, it can be purchased in either convenience stores or as an over-the-counter pharmaceutical product.
However, it’s clear that the market demands ZONNIC alternatives. The author suggests that ZYN is widely available in these stores. However, PMI says ZYN is not authorised for sale in Canada, meaning it’s likely imported from third-party wholesalers in America.
People want stronger pouches and a wider variety of flavours. If the government won’t facilitate these need, someone else will.
#3. Nicotine poisoning
Finally, the article quotes the Quebec Poison Control Centre, which states that in the last six months, they’ve received a grand total of two calls about nicotine pouches. The piece suggests this is a “trend that raises concern”.
The nature of these calls is omitted. But let’s just say that if there were adverse effects, it would be reported incessantly. Two calls in a region of over 9 million people isn’t alarming in the slightest.
Final thoughts
While the article is a nicotine pouch scare piece, it just serves to highlight that there is demand for safer nicotine products in Canada. Moreover, the government's tight restrictions on pouches have left a hole that grey and black market retailers are more than happy to fill.
The problem here is that unregulated and untested products could theoretically hit the market. However, judging by the fact that the strongest pouches that tobacconists in Montreal sell are 15mg, it seems as if the market is regulating itself anyway.
Expecting the same restraint and responsibility from online retailers is naive. Making these products available to adults will go a long way towards mitigating these risks.
