Candy & fruit flavored vapes still widely available despite ban
Vapes with flavors like mango, peach, candy floss, and cola are still widely available, despite the Netherlands banning flavored vapes and e-liquids in January. The products are sold under the counter in souvenir and evening shops, at sellers’ homes, or online, NU.nl discovered.
NU.nl journalists found five businesses and souvenir shops selling flavored vapes in Amsterdam city center in less than an hour of searching. They often demand cash payment for these illegal products. One store told NU.nl to come back later in the afternoon. “Then I will receive a new batch. But you have to be quick. Things often go quickly.”
The flavored vapes are also widely available online. NU.nl found various Telegram channels selling them.
Since January 1, only tobacco-flavored vapes and e-liquids are allowed in the Netherlands, in an attempt to prevent children and young people from being attracted to them. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) monitors compliance with the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act. Violators can face fines of up to 22,500 euros.
Emil ‘t Hart, chairman of the trade association for independent sellers of electronic cigarettes, told the newspaper that most regulated tobacco and specialty stores comply with the law. “But it is available in some souvenir shops,” he said. “There are also sellers who offer the products from home. Just send a text and you can come pick it up.”
According to him, the ban has only increased the illegal trade. “Young people order everything online. Moreover, there are foreign websites that focus on the Dutch market. It is like mopping with the tap open.”
The NVWA also said that most companies comply with the rules. “And otherwise we will take action.” The regulator checks shops, but currently focuses most of its monitoring efforts on producers, importers, and distributors. “That is where we can have the most impact the fastest, by ensuring that no flavored vapes end up in stores,” a spokesperson said to NU.nl.
