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Tag: Netherlands

  • Report: Dutch Flavor Ban is Working

    Report: Dutch Flavor Ban is Working

    According to its first evaluation, the Dutch health institute RIVM says The Netherlands’ ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vapes has been successful with one out of five vapers quitting.

    The RIVM surveyed more than 500 adolescents and young adults and more than 450 adults about their vaping. About 40% said that they have reduced their use of e-cigarettes due to the ban that took effect last year. About 22% said they stopped vaping altogether. According to the report, daily use of vapes decreased from 29 to 18%, weekly use dropped from 30 to 14%, and monthly use from 42 to 16%.

    Most consumers, according to the RIVM, who stopped vaping did not look for substitutes, such as buying flavors via the illegal market or switching to more harmful products. Those who did opt for illegal flavors mainly sourced them from physical stores in Germany.

  • Dutch Propose Raising Nicotine Purchasing Age to 21

    Dutch Propose Raising Nicotine Purchasing Age to 21

    The minimum age for purchasing cigarettes, vapes, and other nicotine products in the Netherlands could increase from 18 to 21, according to a new proposal published by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday (March 12). The Cabinet is also considering the introduction of higher fines for those caught selling vapes illegally and would include measures to reduce the number of places where vapes can be purchased and to require them to be sold in plain packaging.

    According to NL Times, the announcement comes as the Netherlands has seen an increase in the number of young people vaping in recent years. In 2023, almost a quarter of young people between 12 and 16 years old had tried vaping. “The presence of nicotine makes vapes highly addictive. This is not surprising: nicotine is the most addictive drug in existence after heroin and crack,” the ministry said, citing a report from health institute RIVM.

    According to the proposal, the €1,300 first-offense fine for selling vapes online would be increased substantially. Although flavored products are banned and it is illegal to sell tobacco products online, the market is flourishing.

    Vincent Karremans , the Dutch State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport, announced the proposal as part of a larger plan to achieve a smoke-free and nicotine-free generation by 2040. He said the government will increase resources for law enforcement to crack down on the illegal vape trade and will launch a communication campaign in 2025 to educate parents about the dangers of vaping. Karremans wants to earmark €3 million for this purpose.

  • Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    A study in the Netherlands found that nearly 40 percent of young people who vape monthly do not know if their e-cigarette contains nicotine, according to a report from the Trimbos Institute. The findings, which expand on 2023 data, highlight a significant gap in awareness about the potentially addictive substance.

    “Young people seem less aware of the nicotine in vapes. This is a serious issue because once addicted, it is very difficult to quit,” said Esther Croes, a tobacco expert at the Trimbos Institute. She added that nicotine use can disrupt brain development in the long term.

    The report surveyed Dutch youth between the ages of 12 and 25 who vape at least once a month. While many said they continue vaping because they enjoy it, nearly 40 percent admitted they did not know whether their device contained nicotine. Additionally, more than two-thirds of respondents said they do not feel addicted.

    According to NL Times, data shows that young people feel more addicted to traditional cigarettes than to vapes. Among those who vape monthly, only 28 percent reported feeling addicted, compared to 50 percent of cigarette smokers. Despite these figures, addiction experts warn that nicotine dependence may develop gradually, and that young people may underestimate the difficulty of quitting.

    According to the study, many respondents cited flavors as their main reason for starting. Social influence and curiosity were also key factors.

  • Dutch Urge EU to Get Tough on Vapes

    Dutch Urge EU to Get Tough on Vapes

    Dutch junior health minister Vincent Karremans told the European Commission that the decision to delay legislation on new nicotine products is “harmful” in a letter sent to EU health chief Olivér Várhelyi after the commission decided to exclude tobacco-related legislation from its 2025 work program. Karremans urged him to take “decisive” action to protect young people’s health.

    The Dutch also want the EU to establish a legal framework for cross-border distance sales of new tobacco products, arguing that these allow consumers to bypass national restrictions. According to European news website Euractiv, the Dutch health ministry is urging Brussels to impose “comprehensive restrictions on flavors, maximum nicotine levels, and plain packaging” on e-cigarettes and other nicotine products

    In 2023, Dutch MPs voted in favor of a motion by the Democrats 66 party to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes and vapes, although officials say this is unlikely to happen before 2029. Flavored vaping liquids have already been banned in the Netherlands, yet the country is still struggling with a surge in vaping among teenagers, who, health ministers say, are attracted to the flavors.

  • Dutch Psychologists Push for Tobacco 21

    Dutch Psychologists Push for Tobacco 21

    Addiction psychologists from the Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP) are calling for an increase in the minimum age for purchasing tobacco and vaping products to 21. They cite rising smoking and vaping rates among youth as a growing concern, despite the Netherlands’ National Prevention Agreement, which aims to create a smoke-free generation by 2040.

    The NIP emphasizes that vaping poses significant health risks similar to smoking and advocates for complementary measures such as public awareness campaigns, higher taxes, and stricter sales restrictions to support the age increase. The proposal is part of broader efforts to curb youth addiction and achieve the country’s public health goals.

  • Netherlands Urged to Reverse Tax Hike

    Netherlands Urged to Reverse Tax Hike

    A Dutch lawmaker wants to reverse a recent increase in tobacco excise duties to boost government revenue, reports The NL Times.

    On April 1, the Netherlands increased the excise duty per pack of 20 cigarettes from €5.85 to €7.81. A pack now costs more than €11. However, revenues from the measure have fallen short of expectations. Recent figures from the Ministry of Finance reveal that the tax increase will raise €550 million less than anticipated.

    Research by the RIVM showed that around 10 percent of smokers quit because of the more expensive cigarettes. The researchers also noted that the share of cigarettes from abroad increased from 24-28 percent to 35-39 percent.

    Concerned about the Netherland’s lower tax take, BBB parliamentarian Henk Vermeer urged the government to undo the measure, arguing that it would be “stealing from the treasury” if it failed to do so. According to the BBB, people crossing the border to buy their cigarettes likely do their other shopping there too. “That also means less revenue from VAT and corporate tax,” Vermeer said.

    Antismoking groups vehemently oppose Vermeer’s proposal, arguing that the purpose of the excise increase was not to raise money, but to discourage people from smoking.

     “Making cigarettes more expensive is very important and works,” KWF Kankerbestrijding Director Caral van Gils was quoted as saying. “There is more than enough scientific evidence for that.”

  • Tax Hike Boosts ‘Tobacco Tourism’

    Tax Hike Boosts ‘Tobacco Tourism’

    Image: Antony McAulay

    A recent tobacco tax hike in the Netherlands has boosted tobacco tourism to Luxembourg, reports The Luxembourg Times.

    Dutch smokers have been chartering buses to stock up on cigarettes in the Grand Duchy, where cigarettes are considerable cheaper than in surrounding countries.

    For regular smokers, a trip to Luxembourg can be very profitable. Passengers on one such bus said the journey, which takes six hours one way, costs around €40 per person and allowed them to save between €400 and €500 on cigarette purchases in just one trip.

    The Netherlands allows smokers to bring up to four cartons of cigarettes from one EU country.

    According to De Telegraaf, the tax-fueled increase in demand has led to the bus operator to expand its schedule.

    Luxembourg is not the only country attracting tobacco tourists. A few months ago, Le Parisien reported on a similar excursion from the Toulouse region to Andorra, where taxes on tobacco and alcohol are much lower than in France.

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  • Dutch Flavor Ban Lawful: Court

    Dutch Flavor Ban Lawful: Court

    Image: promesaartstudio

    The Dutch ban on flavored vapes is lawful, a court in The Hague ruled, arguing that the harmfulness of e-cigarettes and the “attractive effect” of sweet flavors on young people have been sufficiently established, reports The NL Times.

    The verdict came in response to a legal challenge brought by British American Tobacco and Nicoventures.

    In 2020, the government prohibited all vape flavors other than tobacco, citing not only the receptiveness of young people to such tastes, but also the risk that sweet-tasting e-cigarettes would encourage people to transition to regular cigarettes.

    According to the court, any gateway effect does not need to be scientifically proven to justify a ban. The harmfulness vaping and the appeal of sweet flavors to young people are sufficient to justify the measure, the judges noted.

    In their appeal, BAT and Nicoventures argued that the measure disrupts the free traffic of goods within the European Union. They also said there was no evidence to suggest that the ban would benefit public health, and they warned that it would discourage smokers from trying to quit cigarettes with the help of e-cigarettes.

    The court, however, ruled that the state has the “political discretion to give more weight to the interests of the youth and of a future smoke-free generation in the context of public health.”

    And while acknowledging that the ban infringes on the free movement of goods, the court noted that this is permitted to protect public health if it is “appropriate, necessary and proportionate.”

  • School Makes Students Wear Vest While Smoking

    School Makes Students Wear Vest While Smoking

    Image: Seetwo

    A  high school in the Netherlands has banned smoking and vaping unless students have written permission from their parents and wear a yellow high-visibility vest while doing it, reports DutchNews.

    The measure is aimed at discouraging unhealthy habits and at involving parents in school policy.

    “It’s one of the things that used to be part of the parents’ responsibilities but are now being left to the school,” school board Chairman Hans van Beekum told De Telegraaf. “And the image of all those kids vaping in front of the school was horrible. We needed to do something,” he said.

    So far, only nine parents at the 1,300-pupil Lyceum aan Zee school in Den Helder said their children could vape or smoke during breaks. Some parents objected to the yellow vest and even made comparisons to the yellow Star of David that the Nazis required Jews to wear during the WWII occupation of the Netherlands.

    School Director Hielke ter Veld said the vests are simply meant to identify those who can smoke from the rest of the pupils.

    Ter Veld hopes the measure will also discourage smoking and vaping among students. “Most pupils won’t want to ask permission from their parents and wear the vest,” she said. “They will smoke less and that will hopefully become part of the school culture. If we only get a few pupils to stop smoking then it’s worth it.”

  • Gaming Vapes Provoke Outrage in Netherlands

    Gaming Vapes Provoke Outrage in Netherlands

    Image: 12ee12/nosyrevy

    New vapes with integrated music and gaming functionalities have provoked outrage in the Netherlands, according to Dutch News.

    Sophie Cohen, a doctor specializing in children’s lung problems, described the deliberate combination of addictive things such as nicotine and gaming as “extremely twisted.”

    “The awful thing is I am not surprised the industry has come up with something to make children even more addicted,” Cohen said. “That is their earnings model. The younger the brain, the more receptive it is to addiction.”

    The NVWA, the Dutch product safety board, is aware of the “smart vapes.” The agency says children are likely getting hold of them abroad, but several kids told broadcaster NOS that the vapes are available “behind the counter” at shops in the country.

    Vincent Karremans, junior health minister, called the vapes and their attractiveness to youth “scandalous” and said he’s working on a plan to tackle the illegal vape trade.