When I first got into the convenience store industry as a clerk in the 1970s, more than four out of 10 Canadians smoked. Today it is closer to one in 10. That is a good thing.
I am a former smoker myself. I quit more than a decade ago, and I know firsthand how difficult it can be. So, when World No Tobacco Day arrives each May 31, I take it personally.
There is a persistent myth that convenience stores somehow profit from addiction and want customers to keep smoking. The reality behind the counter is far more human than the caricature suggests.
We Know Our Customers
Independent convenience store operators often work 12 to 16 hours a day, six or seven days a week. Over time, regular customers become more than transactions. We know their names, their routines, and often their struggles.
We know who is trying to quit smoking for the third time this year. Customers talk openly about their frustrations and failed attempts to quit. They ask what products might help. More recently, they have been asking about a smoke-free alternative that governments removed from convenience store shelves – nicotine pouches.
And while we are not permitted to sell what our customers want, they tell us how easy it is to buy cigarettes and other nicotine products on the black market. No ID checks. No health warnings. No regulatory oversight. Unknown ingredients and significantly cheaper prices than anything sold legally. We hear these stories every single day.
The Regulated Cannot Compete with the Unregulated
Canada already has some of the strictest tobacco and nicotine regulations in the world, and much of it is well-intentioned. But there comes a point where excessive taxation, restrictions, and product bans stop hurting large tobacco companies and start hurting independent small businesses that operate within the law.
Meanwhile, the black market continues to grow. Industry estimates suggest that more than one-third of cigarettes consumed in Ontario are contraband. Illegal sellers do not verify age, pay taxes, follow health regulations, or contribute to communities. Yet legitimate retailers are expected to compete against them with fewer tools every year.
Nicotine pouches are a perfect example. Introduced in Canada in 2023, they gave adult smokers access to a tobacco-free alternative that many found useful in managing cravings and reducing cigarette consumption. In 2024, the federal government banned convenience stores from selling them, citing concerns about youth access.
But these are the very same retailers governments have trusted for generations to responsibly sell age-restricted products, including cigarettes, alcohol, and lottery tickets. If there were compliance concerns, the answer should have been stronger enforcement against bad actors — not removing the product from every licensed retailer in the country.
The ban did not eliminate demand. It simply redirected consumers toward unregulated and illegal sources that check no identification and answer to no one.
The Families Behind the Counter
Most independent convenience stores in Canada are owned and operated by new Canadians, often who invest their life savings into a small business to build a future for their children. Margins were never huge, but today many operators are struggling under rising costs, tighter regulations, and growing competition from illegal sellers who operate entirely outside the system.
These store owners are not faceless corporations. They are our neighbours. Their kids attend local schools. They sponsor community sports teams and charitable events. They work incredibly long hours trying to stay afloat in an increasingly difficult environment.
A Call for Common Sense
On this World No Tobacco Day, I am not asking anyone to smoke. I am asking governments to let legitimate retailers help adult smokers access regulated alternatives that may help them quit combustible cigarettes.
That means allowing licensed convenience stores to sell the full range of legal nicotine alternatives, including nicotine pouches. It also means serious enforcement against the growing contraband market that undermines both public health objectives and legitimate small businesses.
There is reason for optimism. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney, urging Ottawa to reverse the ban on nicotine pouches in convenience stores. Her letter recognized a simple reality: over-regulation does not eliminate demand — it pushes consumers toward the black market. I hope other Premiers, including Doug Ford in Ontario, follow her lead.
Convenience stores are not the enemy of public health. In many neighbourhoods, we are among the most accessible and trusted retail touchpoints in the community. We want to be part of the solution.
I quit smoking. My customers can too. But governments should stop making it harder for legitimate retailers to help — while illegal sellers thrive in plain sight.
— Kenny Shim is the owner and operator of Busy Bee King Mart in Toronto, the president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, and chair of the United Korean Commerce Industry Association
