Dutch Flavour Ban Impact
Dutch vaper group ACVODA has detailed the repercussions of the online sales and flavour ban in the Netherlands and how it has backfired
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by Dave Cross
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A survey conducted by Dutch vaper group ACVODA has detailed the repercussions of the online sales and flavour ban in the Netherlands and how it has backfired. The findings highlight how vapers simply switched to making orders on websites located in nearby countries where flavoured products are still legally available.
The research among vapers (average age 52 years) showed that 80% now purchase the products they enjoy using across the border, despite the ban on flavours and online sales.
ACVODA says: “This cannot be the intention of the current Dutch policy, which now only affects adult users. The ban on flavours is missing the mark. A number of permitted flavours and better enforcement would be a step in the right direction.
- Research among adult Dutch e-cigarette users shows that the flavour ban has not changed the consumption pattern of vapers in practice.
- 80% of consumers circumvent the flavour ban: 50% go abroad and 30% of respondents still order online and via social media, thanks to the lack of controls.
- Only 2% of users have switched to the tobacco flavour that is mandatory in the Netherlands. Almost 10% of e-cigarette users have returned to smoking.”
The online sales and flavour bans have not led to the change the government was hoping for.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and vapers themselves all warned the Dutch government about the unintended consequences of prohibition, but the government pushed through the flavour ban and the obligation to only allow 16 ingredients in e-cigarettes regardless.
“It has now become impossible to buy the desired legal product in the Netherlands and use it as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes. There are hardly any specialist shops left where good information can be found. The average vaper, of whom more than 98% previously smoked cigarettes, felt little need to reach for tobacco with the flavours.
“It doesn't look like things will change anytime soon. Only 2.5% of e-cigarette users want to quit in the short term (this year). More than 46% do not want to quit e-cigarettes at all and think that the government makes it extremely difficult for adults to switch to a proven less harmful alternative to cigarettes. They indicate that they have actually benefited from switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
“The government is now making it impossible to buy a legal and safe product of preference in the Netherlands. The vast majority of respondents state that the restriction and ban on alternatives reduces the step to cigarettes instead of increasing it - after all, there is no longer an option to satisfy the pleasure of nicotine in a less harmful way. While 8 out of 10 people say they have quit thanks to e-cigarettes, the flavour ban has ensured that almost 10% of vapers have fallen back on smoking cigarettes due to a lack of alternatives.”
References:
- ACVODA’s online sales and flavour ban survey - https://acvoda.nl/2024/08/30/enquete-onder-nederlandse-dampers-over-de-gevolgen-van-het-online-verkoop-en-smaakverbod/
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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