State Secretary Vincent Karremans told the Dutch House of Representatives that he wants to prevent people from starting to vape and encourage anyone already vaping to stop. In his publicly-available Stellungnahme, he claimed nicotine is the most addictive drug after heroin and crack cocaine, and that it can cause serious health issues.

Karremans, State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport, said: “Because nicotine is the most addictive drug after heroin and crack, vapes are highly addictive. Nicotine damages the developing brain and can lead to a persistent addiction at a young age.

‘Misguided’ comments

Vaping advocacy body the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has condemned the comparison as “misguided,” saying it puts lives at risk by scaring people away from a product that is proven to be far safer than smoking.

The group said Karremans’ comments are “not only inaccurate but also harmful to public health efforts” and added his “claim that ‘nicotine is the most addictive drug in existence after heroin and crack’ is a blatant misrepresentation of scientific evidence and contributes to the growing pandemic of misinformation surrounding vaping in the Netherlands.”

The blunder comes after European commissioner Wopke Hoekstra made the false claim last month that “vaping kills” in a public address to parliament.

Speaking at the Subcommittee on Tax Matters on February 6, Hoekstra inaccurately stated that vaping kills in the same way as smoking.

Michael Landl, Director of the WVA, said: “The Dutch government’s fear-mongering tactics are not only wrong but dangerous. By spreading such misinformation, they are actively undermining efforts to combat smoking in the Netherlands. The scientific evidence is clear: vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and has helped millions quit cigarettes.”

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