Federal Health Minister Mark Holland has sought new powers within the federal budget, which allow for him, or any future health minister to override Health Canada’s approval of natural health products, smoking cessation tools and even medical devices.

This new power was deemed necessary by the health minister to further regulate access to nicotine pouches, which are tobacco-free, oral nicotine products used to help smokers quit smoking.

They are placed under the lip, where the nicotine is absorbed through the mouth’s lining.  In Canada, legal nicotine pouches are regulated by Health Canada as a tool to help smokers quit, and the rules for pouches are identical to other smoking cessation tools that have been on the market for years, if not decades. Those other tools for smokers to quit include sprays, patches, gum and lozenges.

Nicotine pouches are exponentially less risky than smoking. So much so that the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published a comprehensive review on nicotine pouches, and the results are pretty eye opening. On a harm scale, with 100 representing the risk from smoking, and 0 representing not consuming any product with nicotine, the BfR gave nicotine pouches a score of 1, which is exactly the same as the risk from nicotine patches, gums and sprays.

Simply put, these pouches help smokers quit, which is why more than 1,200 smokers and former smokers have called on Ottawa not to over-regulate these products by removing them from convenience stores, or banning flavours.

And the proof that these products work in terms of helping smokers quit is the country of Sweden. Sweden, a country where these low risk alternatives are widespread, is an example of how harm reduction actually works in practice.   The German BfR researchers clearly point out that Sweden is the only country in Europe where lung cancer isn’t at the top of the list for cancer mortality. Lung cancer in Sweden, because of the embrace of tobacco harm reduction, is the lowest in all of Europe’s 40 countries. In Canada, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer, with well over 20,000 Canadians dying annually.

We all know someone who smoked and paid the ultimate price for it. Products that help smokers quit smoking for good should continue to be available, and harm reduction should be embraced across the board. Ottawa, and the federal health minister, should Leave Pouches Alone.

Originally published here