April 22,- The Netherlands will ban the sale of nicotine bags and extend tobacco regulations to cover all other types of tobacco-free nicotine products, the Dutch government announced on April 21.

Currently, Dutch law only allows the sale of nicotine packs containing less than 0.035 grams of nicotine.

The new rules will also ban the use of nicotine bags and other tobacco-free nicotine products in non-smoking places.

The government said it would also stop all advertising of smokeless nicotine products, an area in which tobacco companies have invested heavily to shift from flammable products to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.

"The tobacco industry is constantly introducing new products to make nicotine more accessible to young people." Reuters quoted Deputy Health Minister Maarten van Ooijen as saying.

"It's bad because nicotine is addictive and harmful. That's why I'm glad we're now treating these products the same as tobacco products." 'he said.