Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public health expressed deep concern during a board meeting Wednesday about the new flavoured nicotine pouches Health Canada approved for sale in the fall.
The nicotine is absorbed through the mouth, with the pouches placed between the lips and the gums. Each pouch contains about 6mg of nicotine and comes in a variety of candy-like flavours.
Medical officer of health Dr. Nicola Mercer said this demonstrates how the tobacco industry will evolve to keep people interested in nicotine as cigarette sales continue to decline.
But that’s not her only concern. In Canada, the pouches have been labelled as a health product, considered to be a tool to help people quit smoking cigarettes.
That means, however, that it’s not under Smoke Free Ontario Act, which regulates the tobacco and vape industry.
“Which means anybody can buy it. So your eight year old can go in and buy it, not just an adult," she said.
There are no restrictions when it comes to how the product is advertised or sold, either.
“They’re advertised as a way to quit, but their packaging and advertising are very much geared towards youth,” said WDGPH environmental health manager Phil Wong during the meeting.
Mercer said the pouches are a “totally new ballgame” because youth can get addicted to them without anyone knowing.
“So we are concerned, we're fighting an uphill battle,” she said. “The federal government has some big holes that they would allow a product that contains nicotine to be licensed as a health (product) without any regulations at all.”
Mercer did say the Federal Minister of Health made comments recently stating he was aware of the issue and plans to act. In the meantime, public health doesn’t have any enforcement authority because of the way the pouches are labelled.
“We can’t seize the product, we can’t charge them. We can’t even control what you’re displaying on there, on the ads like we could for tobacco and vape,” Wong said. “The only thing we can do is continue to provide education and look at upstream measures for advocacy.”
