Fifteen-year-old Colin Puckett was successfully tempted by his first cigarette at a Carleton Place skate park. Ten years later, at 25, he still battles the addiction.
After two unsuccessful “cold turkey” attempts to quit, Puckett turned to Zonnic nicotine replacement pouches in 2023. He said he hoped the alternative would end the harm to his lungs from smoking and vaping.
“It takes away my cravings and keeps me from smoking … I didn’t want to be winded anymore.”
Zonnic pouches were introduced in Canada in October, 2023 after being approved by Health Canada as a smoking cessation tool for adults. Their slow-release process and low concentration of nicotine reportedly curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
But now the pouches are only available behind the counter in pharmacies, after the federal health minister restricted access to them late this summer.
So far, they aren’t available in all pharmacies. Ottawa Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall locations do not currently carry them, and have not said whether they will. (Zonnic Canada has launched a store locator map that matches a customer with the nearest stocked-up pharmacy.)
According to Ottawa Public Health, about 10 per cent of Ottawa adults use cigarettes or e-cigarettes daily. Nicotine cessation products are typically seen as one response to the dependence.
But Health Canada says the way that Imperial Tobacco markets Zonnic targets youth and encourages use, rather than nicotine cessation.
Abood Saleh experimented with cigarettes in the sixth grade, continuing to smoke and vape for eight years. Now 25, he uses the nicotine pouches.
Saleh says that he chooses nicotine for concentration, but doesn’t want to pay the price of lung damage. “There is evidence and experience that show how vaping and smoking deteriorate health quickly,” he said. An active person, he said he “can’t tolerate the cough, shortness of breath and inconvenience” of smoking anymore.
Nicotine has its risks. Hypertension, stomach issues and narrowing arteries can all come from excessive use over time. The combination of nicotine with tobacco and other chemicals creates further risks, including cancer, COPD and lung scarring.
Zonnic pouches contain nicotine as an active ingredient, mixed with flavouring and stabilizing ingredients. Once available in a variety of fruity flavours, Zonnic is now only legally sold in mint.
“Nicotine is not harm-free, but for some, pouches can be a safer alternative [to smoking],” says Ottawa pharmacist Mulin Yang. He said that while eliminating nicotine is the goal, “we respect that this may be the extent a patient is comfortable with right now.”
Health officials though have expressed concern that teenagers are picking up Zonnic before touching tobacco products. Yang told Capital Current that the product is most popular among young men. “They seem to think that it’s in style,” he said.
Yang says he asks each patient about their smoking history, after verifying their age. “It’s supposed to be about motivation toward quitting,” he said. “But, there is no real way to know for sure why someone is buying it.”
Before the new legislation, the product drew customers into convenience stores. “About one in five customers asking for something behind the counter would ask for Zonnic,” said Kamal Preet Kaur, an Ottawa Circle K cashier. “When they were gone, I’d be asked where they could find them.”
Saleh said that the marketing argument should be applied to e-cigarettes as well. There are 71 specialty-vape stores in Ottawa alone, and more than 300 licensed tobacco vendors sell vape products. “We are told how bad smoking and vaping is, but it’s the most accessible.”
Some say underage use could be more widespread. Emalee Watts, an employee at Signature Vape Plus, said e-cigarette sales are strictly regulated, so youth could turn to a black market. “The majority of customers in my store are adults over 20,” she said. “Youth are accessing illegally imported products with higher nicotine content.”
“Ideally, the ultimate solution would be banning cigarettes,” said Yang. “With popular products, anyone who knows about them will try to find them.”
