It would effectively orphan out nicotine pouches and nicotine replacement products. Right now, we regulate tobacco, cigarettes and vaping products under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, the TVPA, and then the NRTs, or nicotine replacement therapies, and nicotine pouches currently fall under the Food and Drugs Act. However, if natural health products are taken out of the definition, then we have no framework to regulate them under. As Dr. Moore Hepburn has repeatedly stated, these pouches are a big concern, and we want to keep these protections.
The tobacco industry is not going to stop at pouches. They're going to keep coming back with new innovative models. They'll try to, I don't know, inject nicotine into a candy apple and call it a nutrition-forward way to quit smoking. We don't want that. We want to be there to protect kids with regulations and ensure that the industry doesn't keep profiteering from nicotine addiction.