Netherlands: Plans To Raise The Legal Purchasing Age For Tobacco Products And E-cigarettes To 21 Years Old

The newly formed minority government of the Netherlands has announced the governing coalition agreement for the period 2026-2030, proposing to raise the legal purchase age for tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, and including the possession of illegal e-cigarettes within the scope of criminal penalties. The aim is to reduce nicotine use among teenagers and create a smoke-free generation. · This new regulation was signed by the three major political parties, D66, VVD, and CDA. It is a strict control measure introduced by the government in response to the rapid spread of e-cigarette use among teenagers. The core objective is to raise the threshold for obtaining nicotine products and postpone the age at which teenagers first come into contact with nicotine. · In recent years, the usage rate of traditional cigarettes in the Netherlands has slightly decreased, but flavored and colorful e-cigarettes have become increasingly popular among teenagers. Some teenagers have the incorrect belief that e-cigarettes are "less harmful", which has become an important background for this control. · Experts in psychology and addiction have previously called for raising the purchase age for tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21, believing that the age range of 18-21 is the critical period for nicotine addiction, and the risk of developing long-term dependence from exposure to nicotine during this stage is higher. Moreover, the addictive nature of nicotine in e-cigarettes cannot be ignored. · This new regulation is a continuation of the tobacco control policies stipulated in the "National Prevention Agreement" of the Netherlands. The long-term tobacco control goal of the Dutch government is to cultivate a smoke-free generation by 2040. Previously, the Dutch government has introduced supporting measures such as restrictions on cigarette advertising, packaging regulations, and smoking bans in public places.