Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday he needs new powers to unilaterally take dangerous products off the shelves if they're hurting people and are not being used as intended. Holland is defending provisions in the government's budget bill, which will allow the minister to put conditions on the sale, advertising, manufacture and importation of health products if he believes they are being used off-label and could be harmful. "We need to be able to have the powers to act quickly, so that when (tobacco companies) slink out of some new hole .
.. we can play whack-a-mole with them as fast as their lawyers create new loopholes," Holland said.
The minister called for the powers in response to the sale of nicotine pouches, which are placed between the user's gums and lip. The Imperial Tobacco version, Zonnic, was approved by Health Canada as an aid to quit smoking. Holland alleges young people are using it, causing a generation of people to get addicted to nicotine.
'Stay the hell away from our kids': Health minister vows to restrict nicotine pouches — but how? 'We were duped': Health minister vows to close 'loophole' on flavoured nicotine pouches National health groups call on Ottawa to prevent sales of nicotine pouches to children The Consumer Choice Centre, an advocacy group with loose ties to the tobacco industry, is warning about the potential for ministerial abuse with the new provisions. The organization, which previously has accepted funding from the tobacco i.