The Netherlands’ Minister of Public Health, Welfare, and Sport, Sophie Hermans, said that a generational smoking ban based on a fixed birth year would not be effective in the Dutch context. She pointed to persistently high youth nicotine use and widespread reliance on illegal vaping products as key enforcement challenges that would undermine such a policy.
In a letter to the Dutch parliament’s lower house, Hermans argued that generational bans may work more effectively in countries with lower youth smoking rates, such as the United Kingdom, but warned that fragmented EU nicotine rules could lead to cross-border purchasing and illicit trade. She also cited research suggesting that a large majority of vape products used in the Netherlands are obtained through illegal channels, complicating efforts to control nicotine consumption through stricter age-based restrictions.
