Conservatives are promising to give adults back the freedom to make their own choices when it comes to quitting smoking.
According to the Western Standard, the Conservatives pledged that if elected, Canadians would soon be able to buy nicotine pouches once again—an effective smoking cessation tool—at convenience stores and gas stations, reversing the Trudeau government’s restrictive policies.
In August 2024, the Liberal government enforced a new rule: nicotine pouches like Zonnic could only be sold behind pharmacy counters. The justification was to limit youth access to nicotine products, but critics say the policy ended up hurting adult smokers who were simply looking for safer alternatives.
Health Canada has approved Zonnic specifically as a smoking cessation aid, recognizing that it delivers nicotine without smoke, vapour, or combustion. Yet under the Liberals’ heavy-handed regulations, Canadians are required to line up at a pharmacy counter—an extra hurdle that discourages many from switching away from cigarettes.
Concerns have been raised this election about the illegal tobacco market, with some contraband crime prevention experts asking federal leaders to intervene on the issue.
The Conservative party argues that the government is applying a hypocritical standard: Ottawa spends taxpayer dollars providing opioids through safe supply programs, yet restricts access to a legal product designed to help people quit deadly smoking habits. It’s a double standard that, they say, prioritizes government control over personal responsibility.
“Conservatives believe adult Canadians should have freedom of choice when it comes to what legal products they use, including vapes and nicotine pouches,” the CPC told the Western Standard.
There’s strong evidence to support broader availability. Studies show that nicotine pouches are more effective at helping smokers quit than traditional methods like patches or gum. Internationally, Sweden offers a powerful case study: by embracing nicotine pouches, Sweden has driven its national smoking rate below 5%—a public health milestone that few countries have achieved.
“It is the height of hypocrisy that this radical Liberal government is handing out deadly taxpayer-funded opioids to those suffering from addiction while fuelling black market sales on legal products and cracking down on Canadian adults who want to access and use smoking-cessation products,” said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, smoking continues to kill approximately 45,000 Canadians each year, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the country. At a time when better solutions are urgently needed, many question why the federal government would stand in the way of innovation.
Major convenience store chains have launched legal challenges against the Liberal restrictions, arguing that limiting nicotine pouches to pharmacies is both unfair and counterproductive. They warn that such limits could even push smokers toward illegal or black-market sources.
While some provinces like British Columbia and Quebec had already implemented similar pharmacy-only policies before Ottawa’s national mandate, the debate is far from settled. Public health officials express understandable concerns about youth access, but Conservatives and consumer advocates alike argue that adult rights must also be protected.
