Please sign our petition to 'Free the Nicotine' and break Big Pharma’s grip on Canadian policy!
We, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to end Big Pharma’s stranglehold on nicotine policy.
If Canadians are free to purchase cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, and even drug paraphernalia, they should also be free to buy tobacco-free nicotine pouches in reasonable quantities.
We demand that Parliament:
- End the pharmacy-only, one-can-at-a-time restriction on nicotine pouches.
- Allow adults to buy them in convenience stores, just like cigarettes — and like in most reasonable countries.
- Stop letting Big Pharma lobbyists decide what harm-reduction tools Canadians can access. Canadians deserve choice.
Free the Nicotine – Break Big Pharma’s Grip on Canadian Policy
In most reasonable countries, nicotine pouches are sold freely in corner stores, supermarkets, and online.
They’re tobacco-free, smoke-free, and a proven safer alternative for adult nicotine users.
In Canada? They’re treated like a controlled substance — locked away behind pharmacy counters, sold one can at a time like you’re asking for fentanyl.
Not because they’re dangerous. But because Big Nicotine Gum — made by Big Pharma — doesn’t want the competition.
The Hypocrisy
- Cigarettes? Buy a carton at any gas station, no questions asked.
- Beer, wine, liquor? Everywhere from grocery stores to airports.
- Cannabis? Brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
- Government-issued fentanyl? Available under “safe supply” and "harm reduction" programs.
- Tobacco-free nicotine pouches? Sorry, you’ll need to go to a pharmacy — and you can only buy one can at a time.
This isn’t public health — it’s public stupidity, written by lobbyists. And it’s keeping Canadians hooked on carcinogenic forms of nicotine.
Follow the Money
Nicorette gum is owned by Kenvue (a Johnson & Johnson spin-off). For years, they’ve been lobbying Health Canada to keep nicotine pouches off the shelves — protecting their overpriced gum from competition.
They’ve had regular, high-level meetings with senior health officials like Finn Long — most recently in January, November, and October — all under the banner of “tobacco reduction.”
But their version of “reducing tobacco” means keeping cheaper, more effective harm-reduction options out of Canadians’ hands — and forcing you to stand at a pharmacy counter to buy one can at a time.
Lobby records:
Why It Matters
Nicotine pouches are:
- Tobacco-free – no tar, no carcinogenic leaf.
- Smoke-free – no second-hand risk.
- Discrete – no smoke pits or vape clouds.
- Proven safer – widely available in Europe & the U.S. as harm-reduction tools.
- Potentially therapeutic – studied for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological disorders.
Nicotine is addictive, sure — but so is caffeine. And caffeine isn’t banned, or sold one can at a time.
Tell your MP: Break Big Pharma’s grip. Let Canadians choose safer nicotine.
If you can buy a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of vodka, and a bag of weed — or even a crack pipe from a government vending machine — you should be able to buy more than one can at a time of tobacco-free nicotine.
