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Quick links to detailed datasheets for Netherlands at gsthr.org

Smoking in Netherlands

The overall smoking prevalence in the Netherlands has been decreasing since 2006. 23.4% of the adult population in the Netherlands are current smokers, down from 29% in 2006. This means there are now approximately 3.3 million smokers in the country. 25.6% of men smoke and for women the figure is 21.3%. The most recent data show there were 29,989 annual deaths from tobacco-smoking related diseases (approximately 11,900 women and 18,100 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 21.11% (women: 16.1%; and men: 24.4%). Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in the Netherlands and there are 146,900 vapers in the country, giving an adult vaping prevalence of 1.01%. There is a requirement to ensure vape packaging contains a health warning, and they can only be sold to those 18 and older. Vaping devices can be purchased without a prescription but there are legal restrictions on their use in public places. Heated tobacco products are allowed and can be marketed but the situation is a bit more complicated for snus. While it is illegal to import snus for trade or buy the product online, it is possible to import it for personal use. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can be marketed and it is available to buy in pharmacies without a prescription. The NRT market in the Netherlands is worth €20.6 million. For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.

Read articles from Netherlands

April 24, 2023 by reuters.com

Netherlands bans sale of all nicotine pouches

The Dutch government on Friday said it would ban the sale of all types of nicotine pouches in the Netherlands, while widening the rules for tobacco to include all other types of tobacco-free nicotine products.

The government said the ban would make it easier to uphold the rules regarding nicotine pouches, which are currently only allowed if they contain less than 0.035 grammes of nicotine.

The new rules will also prohibit the use of nicotine pouches and other tobacco-free nicotine products in places where smoking is not allowed.

March 09, 2023 by nltimes.nl

Dutch parliament supports making e-cigarettes look boring, uniform

Dutch parliamentarians want e-cigarettes and vapes to have a boring and uniform appearance. According to the D66, which will submit this proposal in parliament on Wednesday, this will make vaping less attractive to teenagers. A majority in parliament supports the plan, RTL Nieuws reports.

“Young people now think it’s cool to have such an accessory with glitter while vaping is extremely unhealthy,” D66 parliamentarian Jeanet van der Laan told the broadcaster. “The vapes resemble a lip gloss or a marker. They are often colorful, and there are vapes full of glitter. Parents often have no idea exactly what the young people are carrying. Super worrying.”

December 23, 2022 by ethra.co

Dutch Danger

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.

December 01, 2022 by nltimes.nl

Dutch ban on flavored e-cigarettes to begin on October 1; Only tobacco flavor allowed

The Netherlands will ban all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco on October 1 next year, according to an amendment the government published in the Staatscourant. From then, there will be no more banana, biscuit, or fruit loops flavored vape liquids or e-cigarettes, only a limited number of tobacco flavors. The ban also covers pre-filled e-cigarettes and disposable vapes. The government announced in 2020 that it planned to ban flavored e-cigarettes and vapes because they see it as a stepping stone for teenagers toward actual cigarettes. Now it’s clear that stores will have until 30 September 2023 to sell their existing stocks.

November 11, 2022 by dutchnews.nl

Cigarette testing method may downplay tar, nicotine content, court rules

There are ‘strong indications’ that filter cigarettes on sale in the Netherlands may break official EU limits on tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide, judges in Rotterdam said on Friday. The ruling, which derives from a European Court of Justice ruling in February, gives the Dutch food and product safety board NVWA six weeks to start ensuring the law is followed properly and that cigarettes do not exceed EU limits. The court case follows tests carried out by public health institute RIVM in 2018 which showed the amount of tar in a cigarette can be up to 26 times the official norm and that nicotine and carbon monoxide levels are also far too high in most brands.

 

September 29, 2022 by snusforumet.se

Dutch flavour ban fears: Copy Sweden’s harm reduction model instead

A proposed Dutch flavour ban has tobacco harm reduction advocates scrambling, prompting questions as to why the Netherlands doesn’t instead follow Sweden’s example when it comes to regulating nicotine products.

Consumers and interest groups have until September 28 to respond to a consultation launched by the Dutch government’s proposed amendments to the country’s tobacco laws.

The changes would outlaw all but 16 “approved” substances that could be used to make tobacco-flavoured e-liquids. Not only would all current e-liquids on the market be banned, but the proposed changes would also outlaw the development of any new flavours unless they rely on the approved substances.

September 05, 2022 by nltimes.nl

Anti-smoking policy 'fails' to help young smokers: Health experts

Health experts and foundations are calling on the Cabinet to strengthen its anti-smoking policy as smoking becomes increasingly popular among young people. Some have called the "smoke-free generation" plan a failure, according to AD.

Almost four years into the government's extensive plan to eliminate smoking among young people and decrease adult smokers to 5 percent, experts believe it is time for urgent action. Nearly a third of young adults smoke and the number of young people who have smoked has actually increased since 2020.

February 23, 2022 by dutchnews.nl

Anti-tobacco campaigners welcome EU court ruling on tar checks

An EU method for testing how much tar, nicotine and other chemicals are emitted by cigarettes has never been formally published in the European rule book and so it is up to local courts what to do with it, the European Court of Justice has decided. The case stems from a complaint made by anti-smoking groups in the Netherlands, who had asked judges in Rotterdam in 2018 to ban the technique because it provided inaccurate information about what smokers were actually inhaling. Wanda de Kanter , a lung specialist and chairwoman of the campaign group Rookpreventie Jeugd, said the European court ruling cleared the way to change the measuring system.

November 30, 2021 by vapingpost.com

Netherlands’ Protests Highlighting The Importance of Vape Flavours

Earlier this year, a public consultation about the proposal to ban flavours was meant to close on the 19th of January, but had been extended to the 2nd of February. A statement published on the Netherlands’ Government website, had revealed that the consultation was extended “due to popular demand.” In line with this, a press release by the WVA had highlighted that the country had witnessed the largest number of responses ever collected in a public consultation on health matters. More importantly, an overwhelming majority of the responses, 98.54%, had opposed the ban. This equated to 746 responses out of the total 757 submissions [...]

May 26, 2021 by filtermag.org

Why an Impending Flavor Ban in the Netherlands Matters for All Vapers

Back in June 2020, the Dutch State Secretary for Health, Paul Blokhuis, announced that he wanted to ban all non-tobacco vape flavours in the Netherlands. Even though consumers raised their voices and expressed their outrage against the ban, the Dutch government is now pushing on with its plan—ignoring impacted citizens and health experts alike.

This should be of great concern to all vapers around the world. [...] If such a country bans flavors, it is almost certain that there will be knock-on effects for other EU member states, as well as at a WHO level, with the FCTC COP9 conference coming up later this year.