A CBC news report with comments from Dr. Nicholas Chadi, CBC News, Montreal, December 19, 2025

Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent and addiction medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine, says there is a ‘drastic’ increase in the use of nicotine pouches in Quebec among high school students. He shares the risks associated with nicotine pouches, which are highly regulated by Health Canada, but continue to be sold illegally in corner stores across the country. Full story here.

A story produced by Britnei Bilhete, CBC News, with comments from Nicholas Chadi, December 3, 2025

A CBC News investigation has uncovered outlawed nicotine pouches, in high dosages and fun flavours, are still readily available for sale in corner stores across the country, despite new federal regulations meant to limit their access and deter youth.

In August 2024 the federal government limited the sale of nicotine pouches to pharmacies over growing concerns raised by multiple health groups about their popularity among non-smokers and youth. 

Nicotine pouches are highly regulated by Health Canada as natural health products for those 18 and over and are supposed to function as a tool to help people quit smoking. (…)

“Nicotine, in any form, is a risk for a young and developing brain,” said Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician and clinician at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in Montreal who specializes in adolescent and addiction medicine.

Chadi says he’s seeing more and more young people using pouches in flavours and doses that are not authorized for sale in Canada. He says the fact that the pouches are discreet and deliver a significant amount of nicotine to the body is attractive to youth. He says nicotine can increase alertness, focus, heart rate and bring a pleasurable feeling that lasts 30 to 60 minutes. 

But young people can be especially vulnerable to its negative effects. “The younger a person is exposed to nicotine, the higher the risk of eventually developing dependence and addiction,” said Chadi.

“A body can develop dependence and tolerance to nicotine, which means that your body is accustomed to it and if you stop using it, your body and brain is screaming for more.” (Full story here)

By Natalia Weichsel, CBC Montreal, with comments from Dr. Nicholas Chadi, November 18, 2025

Despite tight provincial restrictions on cannabis vaping products, Quebec’s cannabis agency says it felt the need to provide a safer alternative to illegal products.

Full story here

Par UdeM Nouvelles, 21 octobre 2025

Les professeurs Jean-Yves Frappier et Nicholas Chadi sont récompensés par les Directeurs de pédiatrie du Canada pour leur leadership exemplaire et leur contribution à la santé des jeunes.

Les professeurs de la Faculté de médecine de l’Université de Montréal Jean-Yves Frappier et Nicholas Chadi reçoivent le Prix du leadership académique 2025, décerné par les Directeurs de pédiatrie du Canada. Cette distinction souligne l’apport remarquable de cliniciennes et cliniciens au développement de la pédiatrie et leur engagement pour des soins empreints d’humanité, adaptés aux besoins des jeunes patients. (…)

Catégorie Leader universitaire émergent: Nicholas Chadi

Cette catégorie met en lumière les membres du corps professoral en début de carrière qui font preuve d’initiative et d’un leadership remarquable. Ces leaders émergents influencent par leurs actions et leur capacité à mobiliser sans autorité formelle. Ils incarnent une vision novatrice et contribuent déjà de façon significative à l’avenir de la pédiatrie et à l’amélioration de la santé des enfants.

Professeur agrégé de clinique au Département de pédiatrie de l’UdeM et pédiatre au CHU Sainte-Justine, le Dr Nicholas Chadi est reconnu pour son expertise en médecine de l’adolescence. Chercheur clinicien, il se consacre à l’étude des dépendances, de la santé mentale et de l’usage du numérique chez les jeunes. Par son engagement clinique et universitaire, il contribue à faire évoluer les pratiques de soins et de prévention en pédiatrie. (Article complet)

By Jennifer Yoon, CBC News, with comments by Dr. Nicholas Chadi, August 27, 2025

They look like small, pillowy cushions. They come in flavours like chocolate and blueberry, and they promise a zap of energy. 

Caffeine pouches are all over social media platforms. Videos on TikTok show young people trying them out. Others point out they’re available to buy, even for underage people. Some mention they can be used if you’re struggling to stay awake in class.  

Health-care professionals say caffeine pouches are getting more popular among young people on social media. But they’re urging caution.

What are caffeine pouches?

Caffeine pouches look similar to nicotine pouches. They also include herbs and flavourings, and are meant to be placed between the lips and the gums. 

The pouches’ caffeine dosage varies. Some have 50 milligrams — equal to about a half-cup of coffee. Others can go up to or even exceed 200 milligrams. One box usually contains about 15 pouches. 

“Gums have a lot of blood vessels, so there’s very quick absorption of the caffeine into the bloodstream, which means it can reach the brain and also the heart very quickly,” said Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre. 

The rise of caffeine pouches comes as nicotine pouches are also becoming popular, especially among young men. Some videos even show people using both pouches at the same time. Read more

Lire le reportage en français ici

An interview with Dr. Nicholas Chadi, Canadian Paediatric Society, December 16, 2024

**Available in English and French / Disponible en anglais et francais**

In 2022, a one-time CPSP survey exposed an increasing rate of exposure to opioids, sedatives, and stimulants in youth 12-18 years old. The same team—led by Drs. Matthew Carwana, Nicholas Chadi, and Eva Moore—has recently launched a multi-year study to better understand the trends of this crisis and to identify knowledge gaps for the health care providers treating these young people. We sat down with co-Principal Investigator Dr. Nicholas Chadi, for more information.

[This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity]

CPS: This 3-year study follows from a one-time survey. What were the most striking results from that survey and what led to this longer-term study?

NC: We’ve seen a worrisome trend over the past few years. Since 2022, overdose deaths are the main cause of mortality among adolescents in Western Canada. And this is a phenomenon that evolved quickly, just from the beginning of the pandemic. This led to the first cross-sectional survey. The most striking finding to me was that 14 per cent of respondents reported having seen at least one young person with a severe and acute event related to the use of an opioid, sedative, or stimulant substance in the past two years.

That seemed quite high and meant that paediatricians do intersect frequently with young people with these issues. It also correlates with the national data that we are seeing: an increase in overdose deaths related to illicit drugs. Given these findings, our group was interested in continuing the investigations and learning more about the characteristics of young people who present in situations related to the use of sedatives, stimulants, and opioids, as well as what treatment they received. (Read more – English version) (Entrevue complète en français)

Un reportage de Florence Morin-Martel, avec commentaires de Dr Nicholas Chadi, Le Devoir, 27 novembre 2024

Anxiété, dépression et déficit de l’attention : la proportion de troubles mentaux diagnostiqués chez les jeunes du secondaire au Québec a grimpé depuis environ 10 ans, révèle une étude de l’Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

Pour réaliser cette troisième édition de l’Enquête québécoise sur la santé des jeunes du secondaire, l’ISQ a interviewé 70 825 adolescents dans 483 écoles publiques ou privées, francophones ou anglophones, réparties partout au Québec.

Les résultats de l’exercice montrent que le taux de troubles anxieux diagnostiqués chez les jeunes a plus que doublé, passant de 9 % en 2010-2011 à 20 % en 2022-2023. En ce qui concerne la proportion de dépressions dans cette population, elle a bondi de 4,9 % à 7 %.

Le trouble déficitaire de l’attention avec ou sans hyperactivité (TDA/TDAH) est lui aussi en hausse chez les adolescents : le quart des élèves ont dit en souffrir en 2022-2023, comparativement à seulement 13 % en 2010-2011. Quant aux diagnostics de trouble de conduites alimentaires, ils sont passés de 1,8 % à 5 % en 12 ans.

En tout, environ 6 % des élèves ont pris des médicaments pour des symptômes d’anxiété ou de dépression, et 16 % en ont pris pour des symptômes de trouble déficitaire de l’attention avec ou sans hyperactivité.

Hormis le TDA/TDAH, les filles sont plus touchées par l’ensemble de ces troubles que les garçons, note l’Institut. « On sait que les filles vont avoir tendance à davantage consulter et à aller chercher de l’aide que les garçons par rapport à la santé mentale », explique le D^r Nicholas Chadi, pédiatre et clinicien-chercheur spécialisé en médecine de l’adolescence au Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine. (Article complet)