‘ Incomprehensible and deadly ’
Members of the vaping industry in the
Netherlands have voiced concern at the legislative bid to ban non-tobacco flavours in e-cigarettes from the start of next year . Some have accused the Dutch government of proposing counterproductive and dangerous regulations for tobacco-alternative products .
A public consultation by the Ministry of Health , Welfare and Sport asked target groups what they thought of the draft regulation , who they thought would be most affected by it , and how new regulations would affect the industry .
Most objections to the proposal came from vape-store owners across the country , who believe e-cigarettes are an effective tool for quitting smoking .
“ As a vaper and vape store owner , I don ’ t think the plan to ban flavours is very smart ,” said one shop owner in North Brabant .
Another store owner in the same province described the threat of a flavour ban as “ incomprehensible ” and said : “ My customers benefit from all flavours except tobacco . Not being reminded of tobacco flavour has helped many people switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes .”
A third said : “ Many of my customers have already indicated that if their flavour is no longer available , they will revert to normal cigarettes . Therefore , I expect this restriction to be a deadly choice .” Most industry players who responded to the consultation , which closed last week , also warned about the negative financial impact and the inevitable emergence of an unregulated black market from which vapers will try to get their preferred products .
Jan Hein Van Erp , an e-liquid producer and wholesaler in the town of Rosmalen , said : “ People will not accept it and will buy liquids online or from abroad .” The Dutch trade association Esigbond recently delivered a 19,000-signature petition to the Tweede Kamer , the lower house of parliament , in The Hague , against the adopting of any e-cigarette flavour ban .
It seems unlikely , however , that the call from the industry to change the approach to this new regulation will in any way alter the direction the government has taken on e-cigarettes .
There is sufficient political support both within the Tweede Kamer and outside it to maintain a hard line towards tobacco-alternative products .
Health minister Paul Blokhuis has outlined in a general administrative order , or AMvB , how the Dutch Tobacco Act ( Tabaks- en rookwarenbesluit ) will be amended to ban all undesirable additives in vaping products and strictly regulate their appearance .
“ Many have already indicated that if their flavour is no longer available , they will revert to normal cigarettes … I expect this restriction to be a deadly choice .”
“ The fact that e-cigarettes are less devastating to people ’ s health than normal cigarettes does not make these products any less lethal themselves ,” Micha Stubenitsky of the Dutch Cancer Society ( KWF ) told ECigIntelligence . “ Attractive flavours are cynically used to target vulnerable young people and make e-cigarettes into gateway products .”
A recent research paper from the Trimbos Institute – an independent body focusing on mental health and addictions – said public health is best served by prohibiting all flavouring for e-cigarettes , with the exception of tobacco flavour .
What This Means : The recent collapse of the Dutch coalition government is unlikely to change the legislative path towards the ban on non-tobacco flavours for e-cigarettes . It remains to be seen , however , if a new government following the general election on 17th March will keep it as a top priority in the public health agenda . Although the bill was expected to become law in the first months of 2021 , the current pandemic has delayed the planned implementation date of the new rules to 1st January 2022 .
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