Dutch health agency urges ban on unregulated nicotine sticks
A new class of nicotine products being sold in the Netherlands contains nicotine levels up to 25 times higher than safe limits, according to a report released Thursday by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The institute warns that the products—known as nicotinesticks—pose serious health risks and are currently unregulated under European tobacco laws.
Nicotinesticks, which entered the Dutch market in 2024, are designed to look like cigarettes but do not contain tobacco or liquid. Instead, they are made from cellulose or tea leaves. When inserted into an electronic heating device, the stick releases nicotine and flavoring substances. They are often marketed with a wide range of flavors and are gaining popularity as alternatives to traditional cigarettes and vapes.
However, the RIVM now says that these products deliver extremely high doses of nicotine, well beyond what could be considered safe. “We have found that the amount of nicotine in emissions, beyond which health effects are expected, is exceeded by a factor of 18 to 25,” said Reinskje Talhout, tobacco and drug researcher at the RIVM.
According to the institute, exposure to these levels of nicotine can lead to adverse health effects such as elevated heart rate and respiratory tract irritation. Talhout also emphasized that the sticks are addictive. “That is certainly a danger,” she said.
The high nicotine concentrations are possible because the products do not contain tobacco, meaning they fall outside the scope of existing European tobacco regulations. As a result, there is currently no legal limit on how much nicotine a stick can contain. Talhout stressed that this loophole allows manufacturers to push unregulated and potentially harmful products onto the market.
“There are no European rules yet, so the Netherlands is allowed to draw up its own regulations for this product,” she told NOS. The RIVM recommends including a maximum nicotine limit for sticks under Dutch law, in line with existing advisory levels for other nicotine products. “Below those advisory values, no harmful effects are to be expected. Those values could be incorporated into legislation,” Talhout said.
Esther Croes, tobacco expert at the Trimbos Institute, echoed RIVM’s call for stricter regulation and said a more aggressive approach is needed to block new nicotine products from entering the market altogether.
“Manufacturers have done this before, as with Swedish snus,” Croes told NOS. “That also didn’t contain tobacco but was made with cellulose and nicotine.”
She warned that manufacturers will likely continue to develop new tobacco-free nicotine delivery systems unless governments act preemptively. “Tomorrow they’ll do it with something else. We’ve already seen toothpicks with nicotine. None of this falls under the tobacco law.”
Croes urged the Dutch government to consider banning new nicotine products altogether. She also stressed the importance of coordinated European action, warning of enforcement challenges if products can legally enter the European Union through ports like Rotterdam and be shipped to other member states. “You don’t want it arriving in the port of Rotterdam and not being stopped because it’s being forwarded to Germany,” she told NOS.
Still, achieving EU-wide regulation may prove difficult. “Several countries within the European Union oppose stricter tobacco laws,” Croes added. “If we can’t get Europe on board, then the Netherlands could be a frontrunner.”
