“Free the Zyn” Conservatives push to lift Liberal ban on nicotine pouches
Conservatives are continuing their campaign pledge to push against Liberal “nanny state” policies such as the government’s ban on nicotine pouches.
Conservatives are continuing their campaign pledge to push against Liberal “nanny state” policies such as the government’s ban on nicotine pouches.
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani released a video on X where he called for an end to the nicotine pouch ban, a product used by many Canadians to help them quit smoking.
“Free the Zyn! Canadian adults should be free to choose the products that work for them, and nicotine pouches are proven to help people quit smoking,” Jivani said.
The commercial ban on nicotine pouches has been in place since August last year, when the Liberals expressed concerns that children would purchase the pouches, such as the popular American brand Zyn.
The ban permits only select brands of nicotine pouches to be available in Canada, sold exclusively by pharmacies.
Prior to the ban, like cigarettes, nicotine pouches were purchasable in convenience stores. They are currently sold only in select pharmacies.
While the brand Zyn was previously one of the most popular brands in Canada, it is no longer sold as it is not approved by Health Canada. The brand commonly available in pharmacies is now Zonnic.
“They can only be sold by pharmacists who are telling the Canadian government they don’t want that responsibility, because they have enough to do,” Jivani said. “We believe that nicotine pouches should be sold anywhere cigarettes are available because they work to stop smoking.”
The video ends with a link to a Conservative petition to “free the Zyn.” The petition notes that the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada has said the ban “could place additional burden on pharmacy professionals already operating under considerable constraints.”
During the last federal election, Anne Kothawala, the president and CEO of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, called for an end to the ban, saying it pushes people away from legitimate Canadian businesses.
Kothawala told True North at the time that the Liberal government’s reason for the ban, “to stop kids” from accessing the product, was nonsensical, as Convenience stores already have to verify their customers’ age. She said the ban only serves to push Canadians looking for those products online or to the black market.