opinion: federal policy is making it harder to quit smoking
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in august 2024, the federal government imposed new requirements that forced nicotine pouches behind pharmacy counters, requiring a pharmacist consultation, and severely limiting product availability.
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national non-smoking week should be a period of accountability. not symbolism. not slogans. it should be about results.
for more than two decades, canada has introduced regulations to reduce smoking rates. however, the lack of enforcement has rendered many of them largely symbolic. worse, recent statistics canada data shows smoking rates increased during 2023 and 2024, the first time in at least a decade. it is a warning sign that canada’s current approach is failing.
if the government is serious about reaching its stated goal of reducing smoking prevalence below five percent by 2035, it must confront the truth. federal policy is making it harder, not easier, for adult smokers to quit.
imperial is aligned with health canada on this goal. we agree with health organizations recommendations and have the same ambition: preventing youth access, expanding cessation support, strengthening enforcement against illegal products, and investing in programs that help smokers quit. where policy is falling short is not intent, but execution.
the decline in smoking has always depended on access to legal, regulated cessation tools that meet smokers where they purchase cigarettes. when access is restricted, behaviour does not disappear. it simply shifts towards the illegal market.
zonnic nicotine pouches, were authorized and approved for smoking cessation by health canada in 2023. they met strict canadian standards for quality, safety, and manufacturing. yet today, they face more restrictive access rules than cigarettes.
in august 2024, the federal government imposed new requirements that forced nicotine pouches behind pharmacy counters, requiring a pharmacist consultation, and severely limiting product availability. the stated intent of protecting youth is legitimate and shared. but intent does not determine outcomes. enforcement does.
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pharmacies don’t sell cigarettes. gas and convenience stores do—and they account for 90 per cent of cigarette sales. smokers need cessation tools where they actually buy tobacco.
when legal access is reduced, smokers turn to what is available; illegal and unauthorized nicotine products that are easy to obtain online and through informal retail channels.
these products are sold without age verification, quality controls and compliance with canadian health standards. they exist entirely outside the regulatory framework designed to protect consumers and youth alike.
this is the central policy failure. in attempting to restrict access to legal, regulated products, the federal government has strengthened an illegal market that operates with impunity.
health canada itself warns canadians to avoid unauthorized nicotine products and to rely only on approved alternatives. yet current policy has produced a marketplace where illegal products are often easier to obtain than legal ones. as a result, canada has become one of the most profitable illegal nicotine markets in the world. this is not public health leadership. it is regulatory malpractice.
some health advocacy groups argue that tighter access alone equals stronger youth protection. experience shows just the opposite. when regulation outpaces enforcement and ignores consumer behaviour, illicit markets expand. youth protection collapses when illegal sellers face no oversight, no accountability and no consequences.
a tightly regulated legal market, enforced properly, is safer than a hollowed-out system surrounded by illegal supply. proven responsible retailers operating under strict age verification requirements are far more effective safeguards than criminal networks selling prohibited products with no checks at all.
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the focus should be on stopping illegal sales, not obstructing adult smokers who are trying to quit.
there is a better path forward.
the federal government should restore adult access to all authorized nicotine replacement products in convenience retail under strict conditions. these include age restricted sales, mandatory identification checks, meaningful penalties for violations and robust compliance testing.
enforcement must finally match rhetoric. governments must aggressively target illegal nicotine products through coordinated inspections, online enforcement and real consequences for non-compliant sellers.
national non-smoking week should be judged by outcomes, not intentions. right now, smoking rates have stalled and even reversed in some regions of the country. legal cessation tools face growing barriers. illegal products are filling the void.
if the government is serious about reducing smoking, it must act with urgency and clarity. remove unnecessary barriers to authorized cessation tools. restore legal adult access under strict rules. enforce the law against illegal sellers. anything less, is not a strong canada.
frank silva is the ceo of imperial tobacco canada.
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