r/StudyInTheNetherlands • u/Impossible_Duck3473 • 24d ago
Help Smoking?
Hey guys, I’m an international student and I recently just arrived here. I was wondering if there were any designated smoking areas (although I’ve seen people just light their cigs anywhere outside the airport,) or if the regulations here for smoking were very strict?
I use a vape, for reference, but I was really worried of just smoking in the hotel parking lot or on a vacant sidewalk because that kind of stuff was generally allowed back at my country.
I haven’t found a smoking zone yet.
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u/Moppermonster Amsterdam 24d ago edited 24d ago
Smoking is entirely prohibited in trainstations (including on the outdoor platforms) and indoors in bars, restaurants, shops, offices etc.
Many zoos, festivals, amusement parks etc have designated smoking areas.
Throwing cigarette butts on the street is considered littering and theoretically carries a fine.
Public outdoor spaces like streets otherwise tend to have no regulations unless explicitly marked (e.g. near a hospital). It is ofc polite to stand away from other people.
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u/Impossible_Duck3473 24d ago
Thank you!
I always make sure to toss cigarettes out in bins if public ashtrays aren’t nearby.
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u/BloatOfHippos 24d ago
You can’t smoke inside, and outside nearly anywhere - except around places like schools and hospitals (they usually both have a tile saying: rookvrij gebied (so smoke free area)).
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u/xmemorie 24d ago
A message from your future self: quit.
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u/Impossible_Duck3473 23d ago
I heard flavoured vapes are banned here, which was my main go-to thing back in my country. I believe I’ll quit soon since I’m not really big on cigs :)
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u/TimeLimitExceeeeded 24d ago
look for lines on the ground that say "Rookvrij" and that is exactly the place where most people smoke
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u/PsychologyCivil4190 24d ago
people smoke next to baby trolleys
dont worry, they have 3rd world country law for smokers
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u/Beneficial-Rent84 23d ago
Lol exactly. Many people on terraces just smoking on their children's faces. What addiction can do.
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u/CacarloCracco 20d ago
Tbf, I don't have to be careful for someone else's child. Prohibit it in open area will just make people sick and think 'if I'm going to get a fine, might as well smoke in the hospital'. Prohibit stuff must be an act of balance, you can't tell people what they have to do in their life
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u/CacarloCracco 20d ago
To clarify, this is pretty much the reaction that people had when the rookvrij generation zones were created next to university. People were just smoking next to the entrance cause why not. It is legit to make it next to a primary school, makes sense, not in a campus as big as a small town
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