Smoking in the Netherlands
Due to the health issues it causes, the Dutch government has restricted smoking in the Netherlands in public places and how cigarettes and tobacco can be sold.
Over the past two decades, the Netherlands department of health (RIVM) has expanded the restrictions placed on smokers in public places. The Tobacco Act of 2002 introduced a ban on smoking in all government buildings and on public transport. This was followed in 2004 by regulations mandating smoke-free work environments.
In 2008, the law was expanded to ban cigarette smoking in all bars, restaurants and night clubs. Since that time, additional locations have been made off-limits including gyms and health clubs, school grounds, sports fields, shopping malls, leased business vehicles, hospitals and medical facilities.
The goal of the ban is not to restrict personal liberties but rather to limit the harmful effects passive cigarette smoke has on others. The government’s position is laid out in the publication ‘The National Prevention Agreement‘
The government has levied significant taxes on the sale of cigarettes in the Netherlands. Revenue generated from these taxes goes towards covering smoking-related costs in public health care.
It is against the law for retailers in the Netherlands to sell tobacco products to customers under 18 years of age.
As part of the EU, the Netherlands implements union-wide directives related to the sale of tobacco products. A ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products in the EU (including at airport duty-free shops) went into effect in May 2020.
In July of that year, a ban on the open display of cigarettes in supermarkets went into effect and a year later the same rule applied to tobacconist shops and specialty retailers.
As of 01 July 2024, cigarettes (along with loose tobacco and rolling papers) are not allowed to be sold in Dutch supermarkets. More restrictions on smoking in the Netherlands and the sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes can be found here.
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