Tobacco, alcohol and cannabis

Tobacco and alcohol companies have long targeted young people, hoping to develop brand loyalties that will last a lifetime. 

Tobacco

With smoking killing over 45,000 Canadians each year[1] and tens of thousands quitting,[2]  the tobacco industry is determined to continually attract new, younger users. With the number of Canadian students who have ever smoked cigarettes dropping from over one-third to just 17 percent between 2008 and 2024[3], tobacco companies are constantly seeking ways to develop a new generation of buyers, most recently in products like vapes[4] and pouches (or “snus”).[5] While these products are billed as tools to help smokers quit, “the tobacco industry is very good at releasing kid-friendly, nicotine-based cessation products.”[6]

In Canada, government attempts to restrict tobacco advertising culminated in a 2007 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that upheld federal legislation restricting tobacco advertising, banning tobacco sponsorships and requiring larger warnings on cigarette packages.[7] This matters for youth because studies have clearly found that teens who were more aware of or influenced by tobacco ads were more likely to start smoking later.[8] 

Since the 1950s, tobacco companies have waged public relations campaigns to cast doubt on the relationship between smoking and health problems, even producing its own "industry-sponsored research entity" to frame it as a personal choice rather than a public health issue.[9] Tobacco advertising also played heavily on themes of liberty and independence, especially for targeting women and young people.[10]

Restrictions in Canada don’t necessarily prevent Canadian youth from being exposed to ‘ads’ for tobacco. These more subtle media influencers include:

• Product placement tobacco products on TV shows or movies (depictions of tobacco use in streaming shows aimed at young adults more than doubled in 2022).[11] This seems to impact non- or infrequent tobacco users more than youth who have used tobacco in the past 30 days.[12]
• Integrating tobacco products into video games
• Associating tobacco products with being sexy, cool, independent and risk-taking (particularly physical risks)
• Aggressive marketing of flavoured and coloured cigarettes, vapes and pouches.

Vaping

Tobacco companies have invested heavily in e-cigarette and vaping products.[13] While the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (2019) outlaws ads for vaping "if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the advertising could be appealing to young persons,"[14] vaping ads reach youth in many of the same ways as other tobacco ads:

• Offering flavoured products. While many provinces now ban flavoured vapes or limit them to specialty stores, brands from countries with weaker regulations, such as China, are still easy to buy online.[15]
• Encouraging youth who vape to see themselves as rebels or independent thinkers by portraying health concerns about vaping as fear-mongering, as on Imperial Tobacco's Facts Not Fear
• Creating a community-effect by holding events, contests and “cloud-chasing” competitions at vaping product shops.[16]
• Using social media advocacy groups and influencers to promote their products.
• Having vaping products appear in television, movie and video game productions.[17]

Tobacco products have long been flavoured to appeal to kids, but some e-cigarettes take this a step further and actually serve as multimedia gaming devices, with touchscreens and built-in games – both classic games such as Pac-Man and Tetris and custom games that encourage users to vape more. [18]

Vaping is often promoted as a safer alternative to smoking, disguising promotional websites like Unsmoke.ca (whose funding by a tobacco company is only visible if you scroll all the way to the bottom) as public health campaigns that promote vaping as a way to "move towards a smoke-free future." However, the Canadian Medical Association no longer recommends vaping, even for adults trying to quit smoking.[19]

Young people who have used e-cigarettes are more likely to smart smoking.[20] One study found that three-quarters of e-cigarette users aged 18-24 had never smoked cigarettes before.[21] There are also few resources available for youth who want to quit vaping.[22] (Vaping is also associated with later cannabis and alcohol use.)[23]

Nicotine pouches

Following the same "tobacco playbook" used for cigarettes and vapes, the industry has found a new "champion" in nicotine pouches to keep sales up as smoking rates decline and vaping becomes less popular.[24] These products consist of small bags filled with nicotine powder that users place against their gums. While the industry often insists these products are intended only for adult smokers, health experts warn that "youth are fast becoming their main market."[25]

In a significant shift from traditional tobacco marketing, nicotine is being rebranded as a "nootropic" or "brain booster" for cognitive enhancement.[26] Marketing now targets specific youth demographics, such as the brand "Excel" for "finance guys" and "Lucy" for "the girls."[27] While some nicotine pouches were initially approved as smoking cessation aids in Canada with "no restrictions on how it's advertised, where it's sold, or at what age someone can buy it," University of Waterloo professor of public health noted that its social media campaigns were "all about young people and partying."[28] (Social media promotion is more important than ever, since nicotine pouches are now only available in pharmacies in Canada.[29])

Despite being marketed as a "smoke-free" and "reduced risk" alternative, these products present serious health concerns. A single pouch can contain up to four milligrams of nicotine—roughly the same amount as a pack of cigarettes—making them highly addictive. Beyond addiction, users may experience gum injuries, higher blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attacks and mental health issues.[30] Furthermore, there’s a growing concern that these pouches may serve as a "gateway" for youth to "switch to products like cigarettes that deliver nicotine more quickly."[31]

How tobacco advertising reaches kids

While many social networks have banned or limited tobacco advertising, sites like YouTube and TikTok often recommend user-generated content that either encourages or glamorizes tobacco use in the “Up Next” or “For You” algorithmic feeds.[32] One study found that more than three-quarters of Instagram posts promoting vapes violated US guidelines – for instance, a requirement that health risks be at the top of the post at least one-fifth of the total area – and that those received more engagement from users than posts that followed the rules.[33] As one influencer put it, "they target a super young profile... the people they selected are always the youngest. They look for young people that have large groups of friends so [the message] gets expanded."[34]

Similarly, pouches have achieved "near cult status" through an unexpected surge of "self-appointed Zynfluencers" and memes on platforms like TikTok. "Videos of young people popping the pouches have racked up millions of views," creating a "viral spike" in content that signals a successful "penetration of youth subcultures."[35] Memes relating to nicotine pouches have also had “a viral spike” in views on TikTok.[36]

As vaping becomes less popular, figures like Charli XCX, Chappell Roan and Anya Taylor-Joy have posted photos of themselves smoking, creating an image of “young and glamorous celebrities who pout at the camera mysteriously with a Marlboro Gold in hand.”[37]

Social media can expose youth to tobacco imagery posted by their peers, which has been shown to increase the chance they’ll start smoking, vaping or using snus.[38] It can also be hard to tell when posts are actually ads. Companies discourage influencers from including notices required by law to show that something is paid advertising, such as "#ad,"[39] and encourage them to use other hashtags others will copy for free.[40]

Some influencers have promoted nicotine pouches without being paid,  hoping to benefit from their popularity. In some cases, tobacco companies have asked them to stop making health claims about the product.[41] As a result, some activists have suggested that regulations on tobacco advertising be updated to “include all influencer promotion,” including unpaid endorsements.[42]

Whether they’re posted by paid influencers or by youth themselves, social network posts have a strong effect on young people's tobacco use: one study found a direct relationship between how much time teens spend on social media and how likely they are to use either cigarettes or e-cigarettes (vapes).[43]

Paid or unpaid social media posts also expose youth to health misinformation. A third of TikTok videos and almost three-quarters of Instagram posts relating to tobacco contain mis- or disinformation making false or misleading health claims, undermining medical authorities or promoting conspiracy theories.[44]

Tobacco content is also increasingly tied to wellness and alternative medicine, with influencers like chiropractor Peter Attia promoting the supposed “cognitive benefits” of nicotine while downplaying its risks.[45] (Google searches for the term “nicotine benefits” doubled between 2024 and 2025.)[46] As a result, nicotine has been drawn into conspiracy narratives as one more thing “they” don’t want you to know about, and endorsed as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Lyme disease and even the “invasive nanotechnology” supposedly found in vaccines.[47]

Cannabis

Cannabis companies also face strict advertising restrictions, including a ban on anything that "there are reasonable grounds to believe could be appealing to young persons."[48] However, while “the Cannabis Act severely limits advertising options and content … these legal constraints may have been conceptualized within a legacy mass media and traditional marketing environment. Meanwhile, the branding efforts of Canadian licensed cannabis producers take full advantage of digital and social media channels.”[49]

While the law requires companies to take "reasonable steps to ensure that the promotion cannot be accessed by a young person," cannabis advertising still frequently reaches young Canadians through display advertising, posters, influencers or other public figures and branded items.[50] Older teens report seeing at least one cannabis ad in a nine-day period.[51]

Like tobacco ads, these have an impact: teens who see cannabis marketing on social media are five times more likely to have used it.[52] Because platforms like Instagram only allow cannabis posts that are "education or entertainment,”[53]  cannabis companies aim to “sell the lifestyle, not the product,”[54] and the influencers that companies rely on to promote their products usually don't identify which posts have been paid for.[55]

Alcohol

Like the tobacco industry, the alcohol industry spends billions each year to attract consumers of all ages – and for good reason. Research shows that alcohol advertising normalizes drinking, shapes young people’s attitudes about alcohol[56] and is linked to early initiation to drinking[57] and risky behaviour.[58]

Today’s teens are less likely to drink – just one in five report using alcohol over the past 30 days[59] – which has led alcohol companies to introduce products seen as more appealing to youth, like bourbon pre-mixed with Coca-Cola,[60] “funky and wild” beers,[61] and “zero-proof” drinks that make it easier for non-drinkers to join their friends at bars.[62]

Young people are still often exposed to alcohol ads on TV, especially while watching sports. A 2024 study found that half of all alcohol ads aired before 9 PM.[63] Alcohol companies also reach youth by sponsoring music festivals and buying naming rights to venues like the Budweiser Stage in Toronto.[64]

The alcohol industry was quick to recognize the value of the internet as an effective tool for reaching young people. It offers marketers a medium that is a huge part of youth culture—with the added bonus of having little regulation or parental supervision. One study found that the top nine influencers among Canadian children shared a total of 25 alcohol marketing posts on Instagram and YouTube between June 2021 and May 2022.[65]

Young people are actually more likely than adults to remember seeing alcohol ads online.[66] None of the major social networks currently ban alcohol ads, and while some limit who can be targeted by alcohol ads or how algorithms can recommend them, others have loosened their restrictions.[67] Social media also make it easy to buy directly, with “Shop Now” buttons found in two-thirds of social media alcohol ads.[68]

When it comes to the content of alcohol ads, the approach hasn’t changed much over the years: as one industry strategy guide says, “don’t just sell a drink, sell meaning.”[69] These ads often link alcohol to a luxurious lifestyle, which explain why they’re actually more effective when influencers are open being paid to endorse a brand. This effect can be brittle, though: when teens were encouraged to think aloud about how realistic the images were, they saw the posts as less authentic and persuasive.[70]

Of course, young people may act as alcohol influencers themselves. On Instagram, their posts often mimic the aspirational “lifestyle” appeal of traditional ads while Snapchat is used to show their actual drinking habits.[71] Perhaps surprisingly, it’s these more realistic, alcohol-focused posts from friends that seem to have a stronger influence on how young people view drinking.[72]

[1] Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 2023. Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms 2007-2020. Available at https://csuch.ca

[2] Canadian Community Health Survey, 2023 and 2024.

[3] (2025) Alcohol and Drug Use among Students in Canada, 2023-204. Health Canada.

[4] Brandt, A. M. (2012). Inventing Conflicts of Interest: A History of Tobacco Industry Tactics. American Journal of Public Health, 102(1), 63–71. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2011.300292

[5] Sundberg, E., & Doherty B. (2025) How Zyn Conquered the American Mouth. GQ.

[6] Laura Struik, quoted in Gallant, I. (2024) Despite the harm young people are using nicotine pouches. Experts say it's giving them déjà vu. The Dose.

[7] Canadian Cancer Society. The Tobacco Act: an overview. https://cancer.ca/en/get-involved/advocacy/what-we-are-doing/tobacco-control/history-of-tobacco-control

[8] Donaldson, S. I., Dormanesh, A., Perez, C., Majmundar, A., & Allem, J. P. (2022). Association between exposure to tobacco content on social media and tobacco use: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA pediatrics, 176(9), 878-885.

[9] Brandt, A. M. (2012). Inventing Conflicts of Interest: A History of Tobacco Industry Tactics. American Journal of Public Health, 102(1), 63–71. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2011.300292

[10] Amos, A. (2000). From social taboo to "torch of freedom": the marketing of cigarettes to women. Tobacco Control, 9(1), 3–8. doi: 10.1136/tc.9.1.3

[11] (2024) Hooking the Next Generation: How the Tobacco Industry Captures Young Customers. World Health Organization.

[12] Silver, N. A., Dimaya, B., Kierstead, E. C., Iskra, M., Al-Shawaf, M., Tynan, M. A., & Rath, J. M. (2026). Exposure to tobacco imagery in streaming television is associated with increased intentions to smoke and vape. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 100668.

[13] (2024) Hooking the Next Generation: How the Tobacco Industry Captures Young Customers. World Health Organization.

[14] Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (S.C. 1997, c. 13). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/T-11.5/page-6.html#h-449596

[15] Kirkham, C., & Kirton D. (2023) China e-cigarette titan behind 'Elf Bar' floods the US with illegal vapes. Reuters.

[16] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2016

[17] Dinardo, P., & Rome, E. S. (2019). Vaping: The new wave of nicotine addiction. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 86(12), 789–798. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.86a.19118

[18] Man Wong et al, Pac-Man on a vape: electronic cigarettes that target youth as handheld multimedia and gaming devices, Tobacco Control (2024). DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058794

[19] Thombs, B. D., Traversy, G., Reynolds, D. L., Lang, E., Groulx, S., & Wilson, B. J. (2025). Recommendations on interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in adults in Canada. CMAJ, 197(28), E846-E861.

[20] Jongenelis, M. (2023) No, vapes aren’t 95% less harmful than cigarettes. Here’s how this decade-old myth took off. The Conversation.

[21] (2024) Hooking the Next Generation: How the Tobacco Industry Captures Young Customers. World Health Organization.

[22] (2023) Health effects of vaping: What we heard report. Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

[23] Golder S, Hartwell G, Barnett LM, Nash SG, Petticrew M, Glover RE. Vaping and harm in young people: umbrella review. Tobacco Control. 2025.

[24] Phipps, D. J., Knittle, K., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. A Comparative Study of Vape, Pouch, and Cigarette Related Beliefs and Behaviors and their Determinants.

[25] Gallant, I. (2024) Despite the harm young people are using nicotine pouches. Experts say it's giving them déjà vu. The Dose.

[26] Murray, E. (2025) Nicotine is Getting the Rebrand of A Lifetime. InfoEpi Lab.

[27] Sundberg, E., & Doherty B. (2025) How Zyn Conquered the American Mouth. GQ.

[28] Gallant, I. (2024) Despite the harm young people are using nicotine pouches. Experts say it's giving them déjà vu. The Dose.

[29] Von Stackelberg, M. (2024) Nicotine pouches are now restricted to pharmacies. Former smokers say that's making it harder to quit. CBC News.

[30] Gallant, I. (2024) Despite the harm young people are using nicotine pouches. Experts say it's giving them déjà vu. The Dose.

[31] Sundberg, E., & Doherty B. (2025) How Zyn Conquered the American Mouth. GQ.

[32] Vogel, E. A., Ranker, L. R., Harrell, P. T., Hart, J. L., Kong, G., McIntosh, S., ... & Stanton, C. A. (2024). Characteristics of adolescents’ and young adults’ exposure to and engagement with nicotine and tobacco product content on social media. Journal of health communication, 29(6), 383-393.

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[34] Where There's Smoke. (n.d.) https://web.archive.org/web/20240415015822/https:/www.takeapart.org/wheretheressmoke/

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[39] Where There's Smoke. (n.d.) https://web.archive.org/web/20240415015822/https:/www.takeapart.org/wheretheressmoke/

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[41] Sundberg, E., & Doherty B. (2025) How Zyn Conquered the American Mouth. GQ.

[42] Dreyfuss, E. (2024) Our Kids Are Living in a Different Digital World. The New York Times.

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[44] Han, E., Lyu, J. C., & Ling, P. M. (2025). An Exploratory Typology of Tobacco-Related Misleading Content on Social Media: Qualitative Analysis of Instagram and TikTok. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e78854.

[45] Rodrigues, A. (2023) This was the year nicotine made a big comeback. GQ.

[46] Murray, E. (2025) Nicotine is Getting the Rebrand of A Lifetime. InfoEpi Lab.

[47] Murray, E. (2025) Nicotine is Getting the Rebrand of A Lifetime. InfoEpi Lab.

[48] Government of Canada. (n.d.) The Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations - Promotion Prohibitions. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations/promotion-prohibitions.html

[49] Asquith, K. (2021). Branding Cannabis in Canada: Challenges for the Cannabis Act's Promotion Restrictions. Canadian Journal of Communication, 46(1), 79-98.

[50] Noël, C., Scharf, D., Koné, A., Armiento, C., & Dylan, D. (2024). Cannabis advertising impacts on youth cannabis use intentions following recreational legalization in Canada: an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study. Addictive behaviors, 153, 107981.

[51] Noël, C., Scharf, D., Koné, A., Armiento, C., & Dylan, D. (2024). Cannabis advertising impacts on youth cannabis use intentions following recreational legalization in Canada: an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study. Addictive behaviors, 153, 107981.

[52] Vassey, J., Cho, J., Vogel, E. A., Iyer, T., Chen-Sankey, J., & Unger, J. B. (2025). E-Cigarette and Cannabis Social Media Posts and Adolescent Substance Use. JAMA Network Open, 8(6), e2517611-e2517611.

[53] Bourque A. (2019) Under the Influence of Instagram: Cannabis in the Age of Social Media. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrebourque/2019/05/06/under-the-influence-of-instagram-cannabis-in-the-age-of-social-media/#6808559f4746

[54] (2023) Instagram Marketing Basics for Cannabis Entrepreneurs. Cannabis Creative. https://cannabiscreative.com/blog/instagram-marketing-basics-for-cannabis-entrepreneurs/

[55] Varghese, S. Weed firms are using Instagram influencers to dodge regulations. Wired. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/cannabis-weed-instagram-influencers-social-media

[56] Finan, L. J., Lipperman-Kreda, S., Grube, J. W., Balassone, A., & Kaner, E. (2020). Alcohol marketing and adolescent and young adult alcohol use behaviors: a systematic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement, (s19), 42-56.

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[58] Finan, L. J., Lipperman-Kreda, S., Grube, J. W., Balassone, A., & Kaner, E. (2020). Alcohol marketing and adolescent and young adult alcohol use behaviors: a systematic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement, (s19), 42-56.

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[64] Cross, A. (2023) Gen Z isn’t big into drinking alcohol and this has an impact on live music. Global News.

[65] Potvin Kent, M., Bagnato, M., Pritchard, M., Amson, A., Remedios, L., Sabir, S., ... & Hammond, D. (2025). # notforkids: alcohol, vaping, and cannabis marketing by social media influencers popular with children and adolescents on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and policy implications. Archives of Public Health.

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[67] Collins, G. (2026) Meta restricts alcohol accounts on Facebook. The Spirits Business.

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[70] Vranken, S., Beullens, K., Geyskens, D., & Matthes, J. (2023). Under the influence of (alcohol) influencers? A qualitative study examining Belgian adolescents’ evaluations of alcohol-related Instagram images from influencers. Journal of Children and Media, 17(1), 134-153.

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