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Nicotine-pouch maker Zonnic criticizes Conservative MP for promoting foreign competitor
OTTAWA — Conservative MP Jamil Jivani’s championing of the nicotine product Zyn has been a hit on university campuses , but he’s being criticized by the company that makes the only similar Canadian product, Zonnic, for promoting a grey-market competitor.
Imperial Tobacco Canada, the maker of Zonnic oral nicotine pouches, said that by frequently being photographed holding imported canisters of Zyn, which are not authorized for sale in Canada, Jivani and other Conservative politicians risk promoting unauthorized sale channels.
“The increasing visibility of illegal nicotine pouches in Canada highlights how widespread and normalized the illicit market has become,” wrote Imperial Tobacco vice-president Eric Gagnon in an email to National Post.
“Currently, Zonnic is the only (nicotine pouch) widely available for sale in pharmacies,” wrote Gagnon. “These products are subject to strict controls on nicotine strength, flavour, and point of sale, including pharmacy oversight.”
However, adult Canadian consumers are not prohibited from importing low-dosage nicotine pouches from other countries for personal use, as those that don’t exceed four milligrams of nicotine are regulated as a natural health product. Many Zyn products fall under that threshold.
Zonnic, made and distributed exclusively in Canada, was approved by Health Canada in July 2023 for sale as a nicotine replacement therapy smoking-cessation aid. After initially being widely available in multiple flavours, a subsequent August 2024 ministerial order restricted the sale of Zonnic to behind the counter at pharmacies. Health Canada has also mandated that only mint flavours of Zonnic were allowed and has capped the nicotine dosage at four milligrams.
Zyn, a Swedish brand of pouches marketed by tobacco giant Philip Morris International, is not licensed for sale in Canada despite controlling roughly 40 per cent of global market share and some three-quarters of U.S. sales .
Conservatives had made it a campaign promise last year to lift the pharmacy-only restriction on nicotine pouch sales.
The 38-year-old Jivani has since risen to something of a party spokesman on the issue, regularly referencing Zyn in social media content, saying Canadians should have the freedom to buy the pouches to quit smoking. His slogan: “Free the Zyn.”
Zyn has also been featured during Jivani’s ongoing “Restore the North” tour of university campuses across Canada. During a recent stop at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus, he posed for photos with university-aged young men holding Zyn canisters and signed the canisters of some attendees.
Gagnon said that this sort of activity threatens public health by blurring the lines between Zonnic and imported alternatives.
“It’s important that there is a clear distinction between regulated cessation products and illegal products on the market today. Conflating the two risks undermining public health objectives and creating confusion among the public,” said Gagnon. “Particularly when these products are easily accessible to young people without age verification.”
Jivani’s office declined to comment on the matter.
David Clement, North American Affairs Manager with the Consumer Choice Center, says the optimal policy, from a public health standpoint, would be to make a wide variety of nicotine pouches available to Canadian consumers.
“The more legal products there are on the market, ultimately, the more options there are available for smokers to quit,” said Clement.
National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com
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