Vapes are 'hazardous' and 'detrimental' insists Laois TD as sales to teens criminalised

The banning of the sale of vapes to teens in Laois and elsewhere is significant because of the hazardous products that can lead to detrimental effects and smoking cigarettes.

That's according to Laois Offaly TD and Minister of Sean Fleming who has welcomed the ban on the sale of vapes to people under the age of 18 from Friday, December 22.

The measure is just one of a suite of regulations to be introduced or under consideration to tighten up on vaping and smoking. 

Minister Fleming said the first element of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill comes into effect this week. It will outlaw the sale of single-use disposable vapes to people under the age of 18.

He said the legislation also bans the self-service sale of these products, so young people will not be able to buy single-use disposable vapes through this method either.

The Fianna Fáil TD said his Government is also banning the advertising of vapes around schools and bus stops. These elements of the legislation will be enforced throughout 2024.

"I am pleased to see this significant step in banning the sale of these harmful products to people. Recently, I was invited by a number of Laois schools to discuss with them the Government’s legislation and the effects of smoking vapes.

"We are staunchly in favour of preventing people from using these hazardous products that can lead to detrimental effects on your health, but can also lead to people smoking cigarettes.

"Fianna Fáil introduced the smoking ban in the workplace and we are committed to furthering a ban on harmful nicotine inhaling products," he said.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, commenced section 28 of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act to prohibit the sale of nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes on December 20. A statement said the new law takes effect from Friday 22 December 2023.

The Department of Health said it would be a crime to sell a nicotine-inhaling product to a child. The offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to €4,000 and / up to a six-month term of imprisonment.

EXPLAINER

The Department of Health says Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill contains wide-ranging measures to tackle smoking and vaping among children and adults. It says these measures focus on preventing young people from beginning to smoke or vape to protect their health.

Along with prohibiting the sale of nicotine-inhaling products to under 18s, the remaining measures of the Bill will:

• Prohibit the sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products at events for children;
• Prohibit the self-service sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products;
• Introduce a strict licensing system for the retail sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products;
• Prohibit the advertising of nicotine-inhaling products around schools and on public transport;
• Provide additional enforcement powers to the Environmental Health Service for measures in the Bill and for all previous Tobacco Control Acts.

On 25 November 2023 a public consultation to help inform future regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’ was launched.

The Department says this consultation looks at what further measures could be introduced to decrease the appeal of nicotine inhaling products to young people, further denormalise smoking, and improve public health.

The areas where views are being sought include:

• The display of nicotine-inhaling products in shops;
• Nicotine inhaling product flavours;
• The appearance of nicotine-inhaling products and their packaging;
• Proxy sales of tobacco and nicotine-inhaling products;
• Smoking in outdoor dining areas;
• Extending smoke-free restrictions to vaping;
• Increasing the age of sale for tobacco products;
• Taxation of vaping liquids.

The consultation is currently open and will close on Friday 5 January 2024. More information on the consultation and to make a submission.