WHO warns nicotine pouch brands are targeting youth as sales boom
The World Health Organization has issued a warning surrounding the “rapid global expansion of nicotine pouch products, which are being aggressively marketed to adolescents and young people.”
“WHO notes that regulation in many countries is limited or absent, raising concerns about youth nicotine addiction and related health risks,” the organization said in a news release on Friday.
Nicotine pouches are small sachets placed between the gum and lip that release nicotine through the lining of the mouth. In addition to nicotine, they typically include flavourings, sweeteners and other additives.
A February 2026 report by insurance firm PolicyMe found that Gen Z Canadians are using nicotine products such as vaping, e-cigarettes, traditional cigarettes and products like chewing tobacco more than other generations.
Canadians between the ages of 18 and 29 were found to drink the least of any generation, with less than one per cent reporting they drank daily.
However, that same age group had the highest reported daily use of nicotine products (7.3 per cent) of any age group.
In all other age groups, only five to six per cent said they use nicotine every day.
Federal rules currently dictate that nicotine pouches can only be sold behind the counter at pharmacies.
Only one brand, Zonnic, has been authorized for sale by Health Canada.
On March 2, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on Ottawa to walk back its restrictions on nicotine pouches, arguing the rules are an unnecessary barrier for those trying to quit smoking, while inadvertently making it easier for youth to access them.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X the same day, Smith and Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally also said the restrictions are a form of “regulatory inconsistency” and could be causing more harm than they’re preventing.
“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 reads.
The letter also says regular retail stores already sell age-restricted nicotine products and should be allowed to sell the pouches as well.
Conversation surrounding banning youth smoking and nicotine restrictions has also grown in Canada since the U.K. Parliament passed a bill on April 22 that will permanently outlaw sales of tobacco products, including cigarettes, to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.
In Canada, the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act “regulates the manufacture, sale, labelling and promotion of tobacco products and vaping products sold in Canada.”
The act includes the goal to “protect the health of young persons and non-users of tobacco products from exposure to and dependence on nicotine that could result from the use of vaping products” and “protect the health of young persons by restricting access to vaping products.”
Canada also became the first country in the world in May 2023 to require health warnings to be printed directly on every individual cigarette, with some warnings stating:
- “Tobacco smoke harms children”
- “Cigarettes cause leukemia”
- “Poison in every puff”
The goal of the labels is to make it “virtually impossible” for smokers to avoid warnings, according to Health Canada.
However, there’s no indication at this time of plans for a similar ban on sales to those under a certain age in Canada.
globalnews
