I Want My Pouches calls on the Prime Minister to restore access to authorized nicotine pouches in convenience stores

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 24, 2026 /CNW/ -- I Want My Pouches is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to intervene directly in the nicotine pouch issue following comments by federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel, who said she is not considering easing restrictions that limit their sale to pharmacies.

For TJ Peric, founder of I Want My Pouches and a Royal Canadian Navy veteran, the Minister is on the wrong track, and the Prime Minister must now provide clear direction to his government. "The Minister's comments seriously suggest that she does not grasp the reality of this issue. Mark Carney needs to intervene, rein in his Minister and demand that this policy be reassessed based on the facts and the reality faced by Canadian smokers," said Peric.

Recent media reports citing government sources had suggested that a review of the rules could be under consideration in Ottawa. I Want My Pouches believes it is legitimate to ask what representations have been made to the government since then and why the door now appears to be closed.

Why are anti-tobacco groups targeting nicotine pouches?
I Want My Pouches is denouncing the influence of anti-tobacco groups that continue to aggressively campaign against broader access to authorized nicotine pouches, while cigarettes remain widely available and the illegal nicotine market continues to thrive. The organization believes these groups have lost sight of the very people public health policies should be helping: adult smokers who want to quit.

"We hear plenty from pressure groups, but who is listening to smokers? There is something fundamentally wrong when groups whose stated mission is to fight smoking are putting so much energy into restricting access to a Health Canada-authorized smoking cessation product. Why aren't they putting that same energy into fighting cigarettes and the illegal market?" said TJ Peric.

"Millions of Canadians still smoke, and many desperately want to quit. Making an authorized cessation product harder to access is not helping them. If these groups truly want to reduce smoking, they should stop putting ideology ahead of smokers and start focusing on the real enemy: cigarettes and illegal products. Prime Minister Carney needs to put smokers back at the centre of this decision."

Ottawa is playing into the hands of the illegal market
For I Want My Pouches, the inconsistency is glaring: cigarettes remain readily available in convenience stores, while nicotine pouches authorized as a smoking cessation aid are restricted to pharmacies. Meanwhile, unauthorized nicotine pouches continue to be sold on the illegal market, particularly online, including products with nicotine concentrations exceeding those permitted in products authorized in Canada.

"The government is burying its head in the sand. It is restricting access to the legal, regulated product while the illegal market thrives. Who benefits from this policy? Certainly not smokers who are trying to quit," Peric continued.

I Want My Pouches is calling on the federal government to immediately reassess the current restrictions and allow Health Canada-authorized nicotine pouches to be sold in convenience stores, subject to strict age verification.

"Mr. Carney, it is time to intervene. Cigarettes are sold in convenience stores, illegal products are available online, yet the legal product intended to help adults quit smoking is kept behind the counter at pharmacies. This policy makes no sense. It needs to change."

About I Want My Pouches

I Want My Pouches is a Canadian initiative advocating for adult access to authorized nicotine pouches as a smoking cessation tool and calling on the federal government to reconsider restrictions that currently limit their sale to pharmacies.

SOURCE I want my pouches