Canadians trying to quit smoking using nicotine pouches are facing new challenges as recent changes to federal rules mean these products can now only be sold in pharmacies. This new rule makes it hard for many people to get nicotine pouches, especially those far from major cities.Nicotine pouches, sold under brand names like ZONNIC, are small bags of nicotine that users place between their lips and gum to help fight cravings when trying to stop smoking. The new rules are causing problems for those who do not live near pharmacies that carry them.A survey of pharmacies across Canada shows significant gaps in where people can buy nicotine pouches. In some places, smokers have to drive for hours to find a pharmacy that sells them.Ontario has no sellers between London and Windsor, a two-hour drive without a place to buy pouches. The problem is more than just in Ontario. Some people in New Brunswick have to drive 70 km to get the pouches, and in Newfoundland, someone in Corner Brook would need to drive 150 km.The prairie provinces face similar issues. In Manitoba, people in Dauphin would have to go about 50 km to the nearest pharmacy with nicotine pouches. Northern Ontario faces some of the biggest challenges.There are no pouches for sale in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, or North Bay.There's an even more significant gap between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. It's an eight-hour drive and no pouches are available between the two cities.Someone driving from Toronto to Winnipeg would find their last chance to buy pouches in Parry Sound. After that, there's nothing until Thunder Bay, a 12-hour drive away.The lack of access is especially difficult in smaller cities. Timmins, Ontario, has 45,000 people and does not have pouches. The closest pharmacy selling them is over 100 km away in Cochrane.Out west, there's a 225-km stretch on the TransCanada highway between Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and Medicine Hat, Alberta, with no pouches available.Before the new rules implemented by federal Health Minister Mark Holland, people could buy nicotine pouches in convenience stores, gas stations, and online. Now, they can only get them from behind the pharmacy counter.Some provinces, like British Columbia and Quebec, already had similar rules. They only allowed nicotine pouches to be sold in pharmacies before the federal change.The ZONNIC website has a store locator tool to help people find places that sell nicotine pouches. However, even with this tool, many Canadians still face long drives to get the product.Major pharmacy chains like Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, and Jean Coutu are likely to carry ZONNIC across Canada. The expanded access might help some people, especially those in cities, but it's still a problem for many others.Health experts are worried this lack of access could hurt efforts to reduce smoking. If people cannot easily get tools to help them quit, they might give up trying.The company that makes ZONNIC, Imperial Tobacco Canada, is trying to get the product into more pharmacies. But progress has been slow.If nicotine pouches could be sold again in convenience stores or gas stations, like nicotine gum, more people could access them to help them quit smoking.For now, many Canadians are left in a tough spot. They want to quit smoking but cannot easily get the help they need.
