According to a BIV report on May 29, Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland stated that Health Canada should have the authority to immediately remove hazardous products from the market if they are misused and pose a threat to public health.
Holland supports a proposal in the Canadian government’s budget bill that would grant the minister the power to impose conditions on the sale, advertising, production, and importation of health products.
“We need to have the ability to act swiftly, allowing us to respond as quickly as possible to new issues that arise with tobacco companies and to counter the new loopholes created by their lawyers,” Holland emphasized.
The minister called for the use of this authority to regulate the sale of nicotine pouches. Imperial Tobacco’s nicotine pouch product, Zonnic, has been approved by Health Canada as a smoking cessation aid. However, Holland claims that teenagers are abusing this product, leading to a new generation addicted to nicotine.
The Consumer Choice Centre warned that the new provisions could lead to ministerial abuse of power. The organization argued that future health ministers might ban other health products based on political interests without requiring accurate evidence to prove that these products are genuinely harmful to human health.
In response, the minister stated that the organization’s concerns illustrate how tobacco lobbyists are desperately trying to prevent him from restricting teenagers’ access to nicotine pouches.
“Only a completely dishonest and lying health minister would use these disreputable provisions to impose restrictions,” Holland retorted.
The new provisions would only apply to situations where products are used in unintended ways that could cause harm. However, even if it cannot be determined whether the product has caused harm, the minister can still impose conditions on the product. Holland explained:
“Products being used in ways we never anticipated means we never had the chance to assess the health risks associated with those uses. Health Canada’s response has been too slow, and we cannot fully rely on it to take the lead.”
This debate is the latest clash between Health Canada and Imperial Tobacco over Zonnic nicotine pouches. In February, Holland announced plans to restrict the product’s availability, flavors, and marketing strategies. Imperial Tobacco denied exploiting any loopholes to bring Zonnic to market, stating that it merely applied for and received approval from Health Canada.
The company argued that the minister is ignoring other legal nicotine products and unregulated nicotine pouch products on the market.
