Tobacco harm reduction
Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is an innovative approach to publich health which recognises the essential role that reduced-harm alternatives to cigarette smoking play in benefitting public health.
An effective public health strategy
Discover how Canada's current model is ineffective at lowering cigarette consumption rates, and how we can learn from countries who are achieving success by implementing tobacco harm reduction policies.
Why tobacco harm reduction?
The Canadian government has set a goal of cigarette consumption rates lower than 5% by 2035 [1]. To achieve this goal, we should examine the models of countries who have been successful in attaining low rates of cigarette smoking, and Sweden and New Zealand are great examples of this. Approximately 20% of Swedish males use Snus, a form of oral smokeless tobacco with a risk profile comparable to nicotine pouches (approximately 0.1 % the risk of cigarette smoking). With cigarette use at 5% of the population, Sweden is considered to be a smoke-free country and has the lowest rate of lung cancer in Europe [2]. Moreover, New Zealand's smoking rate has been halved in only five years due to the widespread acceptance of smoke free products according to a report by a panel of international experts led by public health expert Dr Marewa Glover of New Zealand [3].
Prohibition doesn't work
The ministerial order to restrict Zonnic (4 mg nicotine pouch) to behind the pharmacy counter (BTPC) does not address the widespread availability of illicit (“black market”) nicotine pouches that are readily available online or in some retail settings. These illicit nicotine pouches are not subject to flavor restrictions, often contain greater than 4 mg of nicotine and are not age gated since they are being sold illicitly. It is likely that moving Zonnic to BTPC will increase the availability of illicit nicotine pouches which have not been vetted by Health Canada. Australia has a much more restrictive vaping regulation than Canada, where nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) can only legally be purchased via prescription. It is estimated that 90% of Australian vapes are now accessed via the black market [4]. Australia is also seeing a significant upward trend in youth vaping compared to countries like Canada, England and New Zealand due to their restrictive policy [5]. This illustrates that restricting access to nicotine pouches will likely further push people to access illicit nicotine pouches without age gating or maximum nicotine levels.
Become a member
Joining CanTHR is free and registering only takes a minute or two. Filling out the form will add you to our membership database and will enable us to provide you with important information including the CanTHR newsletter, Calls to Action, and opportunities for engagement in your region.