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I Want My Pouches: Canadians Call for Logical Access to Nicotine Pouches

I want my pouches
Tuesday at 9:05am AST · January 20, 2026 3 min read

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 20, 2026 /CNW/ – As part of National Non-Smoking Week, the consumer advocacy group I Want My Pouches is launching to advocate for straightforward, consistent, and practical access to nicotine pouches for adults.

While National Non-Smoking Week encourages Canadians to quit cigarettes, I Want My Pouches is exposing a glaring regulatory gap: cigarettes–proven to be deadly–remain widely available, yet nicotine pouches, a smoke-free alternative that many rely on to quit, are locked away behind pharmacy counters.

Canadians Want Fewer Barriers

A recent pan-Canadian Léger survey conducted among 1,523 adults clearly shows a disconnect between public opinion and current regulations:

  • 73% of Canadians believe smoking-cessation aids should be available in the same retail locations as cigarettes, such as grocery and convenience stores;
  • This proportion rises to 79% among smokers, the people most directly affected;
  • 61% of Canadians oppose the exclusive sale of nicotine pouches in pharmacies–an opinion shared by 75% of smokers.

These results send a clear message: Canadians know that making it harder to get the tools that help people quit smoking doesn’t make sense.

An Experience That Led to Action

Founder and spokesperson for I Want My Pouches, TJ Peric, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, knows the challenges of quitting smoking firsthand.

“Like many smokers, I tried for years to quit without success. For the first time, nicotine pouches truly helped me. But when I tried to get them, I discovered how complicated access is. Buying cigarettes is easy everywhere in Canada. Accessing a solution to quit should not be harder than buying the problem itself. To help people like me and to denounce this federal government inconsistency, I created this group with other frustrated adult consumers.”

A Simple, Common-Sense Mission

I Want My Pouches is a grassroots movement that aims to give a voice to adults facing unnecessary barriers. The group defends adults’ right to logical and coherent access to nicotine pouches in places smokers already go: convenience stores, neighborhood retailers, and other accessible points of sale. By limiting these products to pharmacies, current regulations reduce spontaneous trial, slow the adoption of alternatives to smoking, and diminish their potential public health impact. Accessibility is widely recognized as a key factor in successful smoking cessation.

A Call for Coherence

As part of National Non-Smoking Week 2026, I Want My Pouches is calling on federal decision-makers to adopt a more pragmatic approach aligned with Canada’s smoking reduction goals. If cigarettes are easy to buy, solutions to quit smoking should be even easier.

Want to join the conversation?

If you’ve tried nicotine pouches–or struggled to access them–share your story. Follow I Want My Pouches on social media and add your voice. Your experience matters, and together we can push for common-sense access for adults who are trying to quit smoking.

About I Want My Pouches

I Want My Pouches is a consumer advocacy group campaigning for simple, logical, and coherent access to nicotine pouches in Canada. The group advocates for modernizing federal rules to meaningfully support efforts to reduce smoking.

SOURCE I want my pouches

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