The Irish government has approved Health Minister Stephen Donnelly’s plan to ban disposable single-use vapes and most current eliquid flavours available to smokers and vapers. Donnelly justifies the bans by making the evidence-free claim that flavours are only manufactured to appeal to children and rope them into nicotine addiction.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “Vaping is the revenge of the tobacco industry. We live in a country where around 13% of people between the ages of 12 and 17 have vaped in the last 30 days. We need to take action.»
Stephen Donnelly commented: “The Bill that I brought to Cabinet today is a ban on disposable vapes, it has a restriction on flavours and is going down to one flavour and that can be increased by a minister through legislation. We are moving to plain packaging, and we are moving to remove the point of sale.
“When you walk into a newsagents or petrol station, we are bombarded with bright colours and (images) of bubble gum flavours. In terms of banning disposable vapes, there is the added benefit of the environmental benefit. We see the vapes around on the ground.”
Advocacy organisations were swift to condemn the Irish government’s move, stating that it that banning flavours and products favoured by smokers and those with limited dexterity would result in decreased quit attempts and increased smoking rates. Experts pointed to the Irish government’s own data, saying that it shows how important flavours are for motivating smokers to try switching to reduced harm products.
Clearing The Air says the Healthy Ireland Survey “found that 25 per cent of adults who quit smoking used vapes to do so. The National Drug and Alcohol Survey found that nearly 77 per cent of vapers use vapes to get off or stay off cigarettes or to cut down on their smoking.”
It further pointed to the Department of Health’s public consultation earlier this year. This showed that almost 2/3’s of those responding opposed regulating and restricting eliquid flavours. Moreover, 6,000 people told the government that flavours were vital in them being able to quit smoking.
John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Ireland, which defends the rights of adults to smoke and vape, said: “A ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be a grossly disproportionate reaction because the current evidence suggests that, in terms of risk, vaping is much safer than smoking. No-one wants to see children smoking or vaping, but the choice of flavours is one of the most attractive aspects of vaping for adults who are trying to quit smoking.
“Banning flavours would discourage thousands of smokers from switching to a reduced risk product. It would also drive more consumers, including children, to the unregulated black market. In public health terms, that would be massive own goal.”
