Dutch government looking at raising smoking age from 18 to 21

The Dutch government is examining the possibility of raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, according to a new proposal. It is also considering introducing higher fines for people who sell vapes illegally, as part of a wider crackdown on youth smoking and vaping. 

Dutch government wants to raise smoking age to 21

The minimum age for purchasing cigarettes, vapes and other products containing nicotine could increase from 18 to 21 in the Netherlands, according to a new proposal - the Action Plan Against Vaping - published by the Ministry of Health last week. It is part of a larger plan to achieve a smoke- and nicotine-free generation by 2040. 

As well as raising the smoking age, the action plan would introduce higher fines for those caught selling vapes illegally, tweak the the ban on flavoured vapes to make it a criminal offence to offer them for sale, reduce the number of places where vapes can be sold, force them to be sold in plain packaging, and ban the sale of accessories that make nicotine products more attractive, like flavoured vape tips. 

3 million euros will also be earmarked for a communication campaign to educate parents and children about the dangers and addictiveness of vaping, and make it easier for young people who are struggling with a vape addiction to seek help. 

Ministers concerned in rise of “underhand” vape sales

Early last year, the Dutch government banned the sale of flavoured vapes, just a few months after the online sale of vapes was also banned. However, the State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport in the Netherlands, Vincent Karremans, said that he was concerned about the rise in “underhand” sales via shops, dealers and social media channels.

Karremans pointed to “alarming” figures from the Trimbos addiction institute that found that 24,6 percent of young people between the ages of 12 and 16 in the Netherlands have used a vape. Of those, almost 70 percent also smoke cigarettes. In 2024, at least 14 children ended up in hospital with conditions like collapsed lungs or pulmonary haemorrhaging as a result of using vapes.

“It is not normal for children and young people to use nicotine in any form,” Karremans wrote in his report. “I therefore see an important task for the government to protect young people against addiction to tobacco, vaping and new nicotine products.”