Quebec has only allowed sales of NRTs in pharmacies for the past 20 years. Initially, it was the only province to do so. They were not behind the counter, they were in the main space under the supervision of a pharmacist. At this point, the order of pharmacists felt that this wasn't enough. It saw that the Zonnic products were being bought up by young people walking into their store.
It's not illegal to sell NRTs to minors but there was no interaction between the pharmacist and the youth. The order of pharmacists has asked its members to now place the products behind the counter. The ministerial order followed suit and has expanded that to all of Canada. B.C. did the same before the ministerial order.
Should we have this patchwork of regulations or protocols? In Quebec it's not a regulation, it's the order of pharmacists that has dictated that. We would see that being undermined by provinces that would still allow, should the ministerial order fall, products to be sold online, or in convenience stores. They could be shipped to places where those products would be uncompliant.