Strengthening enforcement against illegal vapes, preventing the start of vaping, and encouraging cessation of vaping. This is the core of the action plan against vaping that Secretary of State Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sport) presents today to the House of Representatives. Through these actions, the popularity of vaping among young people should decrease, and the illegal trade in vapes should be reduced. The NVWA will receive structurally more funding for enforcement, new legal powers, and will impose higher fines to tackle illegal vapes more effectively.

Secretary of State Vincent Karremans: “The issue of vaping youth is very serious. A quarter of young people between the ages of 12 and 16 have vaped at some point. And 1 in 7 does so even monthly. Because nicotine is the most addictive drug that exists after heroin and crack, vapes are highly addictive. Nicotine harms the developing brain and can lead to a stubborn addiction at a young age. This is already very serious in itself, but it also makes you more susceptible to other addictions. That is why I am doing everything I can to tackle this problem.”

To tackle illegal trade, the NVWA will receive an additional €3 million per year. This will allow them to deploy more enforcers and invest in innovative enforcement. Fines will also be increased, and the NVWA will gain more legal powers to enforce more efficiently. One example of this is that not only online sales but also the mere online offering of vapes will be prohibited. Enforcement of the online ban will thus become much more efficient for the NVWA, as it will no longer need to prove that an online purchase has taken place.

Karremans is also working on a legislative proposal that will prohibit holding stock of flavored vapes. This way, sellers cannot escape responsibility if large quantities of (illegal) vapes are found but are not visibly sold. Enforcement will involve closer collaboration between VWS, NVWA, and Customs, as well as with large municipalities such as Amsterdam. It is being explored whether municipal BOAs can be deployed in the enforcement against illegal trade in vapes.

To prevent as many young people as possible from starting to vape, we need to address the wrongly perceived relatively innocent image. Vapes are not innocent, especially not for young people. To confront this false image, there will be campaign activities this year aimed at parents of high school students about the dangers of vapes. To ensure that vapes are not sold in places where children go, they may only be sold in specialty stores starting in 2026.

To further encourage cessation among vaping youth, the Trimbos Institute will receive additional resources in 2025 to compile available knowledge on quitting vaping and better align cessation programs with the needs of young people. The website ikstopnu.nl will also be expanded with knowledge gathered by experts on vaping. The government will work to spread successful initiatives in schools to help young people quit vaping to other schools.