The Dutch government has already banned flavors in e-cigs. Now it wants to ban all varieties of nicotine pouches. This is despite the fact that almost 20% of the population smokes, 14% of them daily.
"In Holland you will be able to smoke yourself to death, get drunk, get stoned in a coffeeshop but if you like nicotine, god forbid, you are in trouble." says Atakan Befrits, Policy Analyst at INNCO.
Currently, it is not allowed to sell nicotine pouches with a nicotine content higher than 0.035 milligrams per pouch in the Netherlands. The products are regulated under the Food Act and can only contain as much nicotine as a aubergine. Traditional nicotine pouches contain between 2 and 20 mg per pouch. Now the Dutch government wants to ban the weaker pouches as well and bring the products under the Tobacco Act instead of the Food Act.
"We propose to include non-tobacco nicotine products, as well as devices for using such products, in the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act. Non-tobacco nicotine products for oral use, such as nicotine pouches, will be banned", writes the Netherlands the government in a statement.
"Morally wrong"
The proposal has provoked reactions, not least from user groups across Europe. The European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA), which represents nearly 27 million European nicotine users, argues that the ban is a violation of human rights.
"Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular among people who want safer alternatives to smoking. It is morally wrong to deny smokers access to products that are less harmful to their health," the association writes in a press release.
In December 2022, the Dutch Parliament chose to ban in principle all flavorings in e-liquid for e-cigarettes. As of 1 October 2023, only flavors reminiscent of tobacco smoke may be sold in the Netherlands.
Leads to more smokers
According to several studies restrictions on alternative nicotine products lead to more people taking up smoking and fewer quitting. Similar flavor bans have voted down in Sweden, arguing that a ban would reduce the possibility of harm reduction for nicotine users.
"E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are mainly used by former smokers and are one of the most effective smoking cessation aids. In Sweden, we have very few smokers, mostly because of snus, which attracts many. In other countries, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes can have the same effect. The taste ban, together with a possible ban on nicotine pouches, will be a pure loss for public health in the Netherlands" says Karl Åke Johansson, President of the User Association NNA Sweden.
"Ok to smoke, drink and get high"
According to Atakan Befrits and the INNCO organizationwhich has a long history of analyzing and influencing policy decisions around alternatives to cigarettes, the Netherlands is painting itself into a corner. Especially when it comes to policy on nicotine, in relation to other substances.
"In Holland, you'll be able to smoke yourself to death, get drunk, get stoned in a coffeeshop. But using nicotine safely, that's supposed to be impossible. What are they really thinking? " says Atakan Befrits to Vejpkollen.
Calling for protests
ETHRA and NNA Sweden are now calling on anyone using nicotine pouches or e-cigarettes to contact the Dutch government.
"The reasoning behind the Dutch government's proposal to completely ban nicotine pouches is based on the same illogical approach as the taste ban. This is a matter of ideology and has no basis in modern research, whether on nicotine or smoking cessation" writes ETHRA.
