For now, the Netherlands postponed its flavour ban for six months. The law was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2022. The Dutch cabinet (Council of Ministers) delayed the law’s implementation in March 2022. 

The flavour ban, approved last year, will only allow sales of tobacco-flavoured vaping products. As a part of the regulation, the Dutch cabinet approved the list of ingredients used in production. According to Esigbond, the Dutch vape trade association, the list included two flavourings – isophorone and pyridine – known to be carcinogenic. The group alerted the government to the problem. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is now investigating the list of ingredients again.

We urge the Dutch government to ditch the flavour ban altogether, or keep as many flavours as possible on the market.

Therefore, we sent an open letter to all members of parliament and hoped they reconsider this short-sighted ban. 

HERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE LETTER

Parallel to the discussion in March 2022, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) gathered in Hague to call policymakers to stand against the bans on vape flavours. The WVA displayed an art installation in front of the Dutch Parliament with a simple message “flavours help smokers quit”. Shortly after the demonstration and Esigbond investigation, a postponement of the Dutch vape flavour ban was announced in the Netherlands. 

Flavours play a vital role for smokers who want to quit. Adult consumers who have used vaping to quit smoking say that flavours, other than tobacco, were a decisive factor in preventing them from returning to smoking. By using flavoured e-liquids, they are 230 per cent more likely to quit smoking than tobacco-flavoured ones.

Help to save flavours and lives in the Netherlands, and contact Dutch politicians here. 

Background

The flavour ban in the Netherlands was first announced in June 2020 by former health minister Paul Blokhuis — a major proponent of vaping restrictions. In December of that year, a public consultation received a record number of comments, with 98% opposition to the law.

WVA handed out samples of tasteless ice cream last summer to protest the ban, reminding MPs and the public that flavours are integral to the vaping success story that has already seen hundreds of thousands of Dutch smokers switch away from cigarettes.

We believe that the Dutch Cabinet should revise its plans for a flavour ban. The ban will have disastrous consequences and undermine harm reduction efforts without solving the teen smoking problem. Nearly 260,000 Dutch vapers might return to more dangerous smoking.