The Dutch government has launched a consultation on legislation to ban nicotine pouches. The consultation ends on 16 January. The European Commission has already signalled that it would like an EU wide ban on nicotine pouches. If individual member states, such as the Netherlands, ban pouches, an EU wide ban becomes far more likely.

Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular with people seeking safer alternatives to smoking. It is morally wrong to deny people who smoke access to products which are less harmful to their health.

The NL government’s rationale for the ban relies on the same tired old arguments we see used against vaping. The ban is based on ideology, not on sound science.