The Government has approved the publication of a bill that would ban the sale of vaping products to anyone under the age of 18.

The Department of Health said that the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill also included “wide-ranging” measures to tackle smoking and vaping among adults, as well as those aged under 18.

The bill will:

• Prohibit the sale of nicotine-inhaling products to anyone under 18 years.
• 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.

Research

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who brought the proposal to Cabinet with Hildegarde Naughton (Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy), said that tobacco smoking continued to kill 4,500 people in Ireland every year, adding that the smoking rate was still “unacceptably high”, at 18%.

“We have all seen the rise in popularity of vaping, and especially among our young people. Our research tells us that vaping among adolescents increases the likelihood that they will later smoke,” he stated.