New research suggests the rate of nicotine pouch use among young people in Canada has skyrocketed — with more than one third saying they’ve tried them.
The data, gathered by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, found that in 2022, 7.6 per cent of respondents had used a nicotine pouch. By 2026, that number had more than quadrupled to 34.8 per cent.
The study has been following 3,400 Canadians aged 17 to 27 since 2020.
The significant uptick surprised researchers, who had previously tracked mostly experimental use of the pouches, according to Michael Chaiton, director of the research unit and a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
“This is a rapid change in growth,” Chaiton said. “That is something you don’t see very often, and something that needs attention.”
The study also found a sharp increase in the number of young people who were using pouches regularly. In 2022, only one per cent of respondents said they used them within the last month. This year, that number jumped to 8.5 per cent.
The tobacco-less packets are placed between a person’s lip and gum and have been marketed as a tool to help cigarette smokers quit. But health groups warn that similar to vaping, pouches have become popular with young people who never tried cigarettes.
That is what Chaiton’s research suggests as well: Only one-third of the respondents who said they tried pouches were also cigarette smokers.
The use of nicotine pouches has been surging globally, with the World Health Organization (WHO) issuing a warning last month that the product is being aggressively marketed toward young people.
The WHO recommends governments restrict their access — which Canada has done since 2024.
Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful, especially for young people, the WHO said. Exposure at a young age can affect a person’s brain development and increases the chances they’ll become addicted to nicotine long-term and go on to use other nicotine products like cigarettes.
Conservatives, industry lobby for loosened restrictions
The new Canadian data and international health warnings come as conservative politicians and the tobacco industry push the federal government to loosen its restrictions on nicotine pouches.
The only brand approved for sale in Canada, Zonnic, is made by cigarette manufacturer Imperial Tobacco.
In August 2024, Health Minister Mark Holland issued a ministerial order that limited pouch sales to pharmacies, along with bringing in new labelling rules and limits on advertising and flavours.
Holland accused Imperial of duping Health Canada by getting approval the year before to sell the pouches as a natural health product, allowing it to bypass regulations in Canada’s nicotine and vaping legislation — meaning the pouches could be sold to minors in gas stations and convenience stores.
The federal Conservatives have since launched a petition called “Free the Zyn,” arguing the restrictions are unfair, limit choice and push adults toward more harmful products and the black market. (Pouches are sometimes referred to as Zyn, the name of the popular brand sold in the United States.)
“Canadians just want to go to the corner store, the gas station or wherever cigarettes are sold and choose an alternative product,” Jamil Jivani, the Conservative MP for Bowmanville-Oshawa North said in the House of Commons in November 2025.
“When will the Liberals free the Zyn?”
In March, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also called on Ottawa to walk back the order, arguing it had made it harder for people wanting to quit smoking while also encouraging illicit sales online. (Chaiton’s research found Alberta had the highest nicotine pouch use, with 44 per cent of respondents in that province saying they’d tried them.)
Imperial Tobacco has made the same arguments.
“We know that the vast majority of adult smokers want to quit smoking, so having access where they buy their cigarettes we believe is important,” said Eric Gagnon, Imperial’s vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs.
Gagnon argues the restrictions are actually encouraging more youth access.
“By increasing the amount of consumers that are buying illegal products, you’re allowing these illegal traffickers to increase their footprint,” he said.
Canada’s health minister won’t say if she plans to keep or change her predecessor’s restrictions. Marjorie Michel was not made available for an interview.
“While nicotine pouches may have a role in helping some individuals transition away from smoking, we are clear that they must be appropriately regulated to ensure they are used safely and as intended,” her spokesperson, Alexandre Bergeron, wrote in a statement.
“These measures ensure they remain focused on smoking cessation support, while minimizing the risk of youth uptake and recreational use.”
Majority of pouch users are male, have also vaped
Health groups argue the spike in nicotine pouch popularity is a warning that Canada must keep its restrictions to prevent even more appeal and access for young people.
“It is essential that the restriction stays in place,” said Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, which successfully pushed for the measures.
“There’s no indication that the minister of health, or the government in general, is looking to weaken that existing regulation. But the tobacco industry and its allies sure are lobbying hard,” Cunningham said.
The growth in pouches and vaping mean nicotine use is no longer declining in Canada, Cunningham said.
“It cannot be the case that Imperial Tobacco credibly really wants people to quit smoking … they are benefitting from this tremendous increase in the overall nicotine market.”
While the majority of respondents in Chaiton’s research who tried pouches weren’t smokers, 97 per cent of them had previously tried vaping.
Pouches may be gaining popularity because they are easier to use and hide, Chaiton said. Nicotine pouches are also being heavily promoted over social media and with influencers.
Chaiton’s research found a substantially larger number of males are using pouches compared to females.
“They’re certainly being promoted online and in TikTok and other social media and associated in particular with a certain type of culture — particularly a masculine culture,” he said.
The federal government has promised for five years now to ban flavoured vapes. But it still hasn’t done so, even in spite of a growing body of research suggesting it could reduce youth vaping rates. CBC’s Marina von Stackelberg explains the reasons for the delay.
