Driving from Sturgeon Falls to Timmins reminded us just how remote Northern Ontario really is.

Illegal nicotine pouches were still easy to find—around $25 a tin—while finding a pharmacy wasn’t nearly as easy. Cigarettes, however, were available almost everywhere.

It raises a simple question: if legal nicotine pouches are only sold in pharmacies, how practical is that for adults living in remote communities, especially in the winter?

We also left some Rights 4 Vapers swag at MP Gaétan Malette’s office and are now heading to Thunder Bay.

Three days in, one thing is becoming clear: when legal access is restricted, the illicit market fills the gap.