Feds ‘open’ to loosening rules banning nicotine pouch sales at convenience stores

OTTAWA — The federal government is considering loosening some of its rules around the sale of nicotine pouches that could see the increasingly popular product sold in Canadian convenience stores, National Post has learned.

One senior federal government source told National Post that the “openness” to change existing regulations comes amid pressures from certain provinces as well as the convenience store industry.

“There is interest on our end” to loosen regulations and allow the products to be sold in convenience stores again, said the source who was granted anonymity in order to discuss private deliberations openly.

But the source insisted that no decision has been taken yet and that the file isn’t a priority for Ottawa, comments confirmed by two other federal or provincial government sources.

Nicotine pouches like Zonnic and Zyn, which are placed between the lip and gum and gradually release nicotine, are a controversial product that has been strictly regulated since 2024.

Currently, Imperial Tobacco Canada’s Zonnic is the only nicotine pouch product approved by Health Canada for sale in the country.

The ministerial regulations established under then prime minister Justin Trudeau capped the products’ concentration at 4 mg of nicotine per pouch and limited flavours to mint and menthol. They also barred any packaging design that could make the product appealing to minors.

The regulations further required the products to only be sold behind the counter at pharmacies, whereas they could previously be sold where tobacco products are available, such as convenience stores.

The Liberal government argued at the time that the strict regulations were necessary because the products potentially presented “a risk of injury to health” and should not appeal to young people.

But some or all of that could change if the federal government bows to pressure from Alberta, Ontario as well as convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been a vocal proponent for Ottawa to ease up its restrictions on nicotine pouch products. In March, she wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney asking why nicotine pouches were subject to more restrictive sales models than other nicotine pouches or cigarettes.

But in the background, the Ontario government has also lobbied the Carney government to loosen the 2024 regulations on nicotine pouches to allow them to be sold in convenience stores, National Post has learned.

One government source described it as “very quiet diplomacy” and said Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones had brought it up during a meeting with her federal counterpart in recent months.

They noted it isn’t a priority for Ontario, but said that there could be an economic opportunity for the province should a foreign pouch maker decide to start manufacturing their products in Canada if the 2024 regulations are loosened.

Behind the scenes, Quebec-based global convenience store giant Couche-Tard — which owns the eponymous chain in Quebec as well as brands Circle K, Mac’s and Statoil in Canada, the U.S. and Europe — has also lobbied the government hard to allow their stores to resume selling nicotine pouches.

According to lobbying records, company lobbyist Marie-Hélène Labrie met with Carney’s chief of staff Marc-André Blanchard and two other PMO advisors on March 13,2026. It also notes that top bureaucrat Michael Sabia also attended on invitation from PMO.

The federal lobbying registry states Labrie met them to discuss health issues linked to the “flexibility, coherence, and predictability of the federal regulatory framework concerning certain goods sold in convenience stores (and grocery stores) in Canada.”

But one source also noted that chain founder Alain Bouchard has met directly with Carney as well as Blanchard in recent months to make the same pitch.

Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Sofia Ouslis said Blanchard was not available for an interview. She did not deny that the meeting had occurred.

Tobacco companies and their representatives argue that nicotine pouches represent the new era of tobacco cessation products to help smokers kick the habits.

But critics and health advocates argue that they are simply a new way to get people hooked on to nicotine and are designed to attract young consumers. A 2025 paper from researchers at the Ottawa Heart Institute concluded that such products may help reduce the number of cigarettes smoked in a day, but do not appear to increase quit rates.

Part of the argument to loosen regulations is that current rules encourage an unchecked “black market” of nicotine pouches being sold outside of pharmacies — an argument also pushed by tobacco companies who produce such products.

Health Canada said “illegal” products are a “serious concern” but denied any link between the rules mandating nicotine pouches be sold behind pharmacy counters and black market product sold elsewhere.

“Current illicit sales appear to be driven primarily by unauthorized products approved as recreational items in other jurisdictions and by illegal cross‑border importation,” Health Canada spokesperson Karine LeBlanc said in a statement.

Alimentation Couche-Tard did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment.

Popular nicotine pouches like Zyn have become a political flashpoint in recent years. The Conservative party promised during last year’s election to “free the Zyn” by legalizing the sale of nicotine pouches at stores.

Ontario MP Jamil Jivani has been an especially visible advocate of loosening restrictions, notably signing Zyn canisters during a recent tour of college campuses.

National Post, with files from Rahim Mohamed

cnardi@postmedia.com