Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly has received approval from Cabinet to draft legislation which would see the sale, import and manufacturing of disposable vapes banned across the country.
The Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill, which was approved last week, is set to introduce a number of restrictions on the sale of vapes.
Restrictions include a limitation of available flavours, with “provisions to amend the list of allowed flavours as new evidence presents”. Regulations on the colours and imagery that appear on packaging and vape devices themselves are also included in the legislation.
Last minute point-of-sale advertising in shops that don’t primarily sell nicotine looks set to be prohibited, with flavour descriptors and “language other than basic flavour names” also being banned.
Minister Donnelly said that the purpose of the new legislation is to “tackle the rise in the use of ’vapes’ among children and young people by reducing their attractiveness and availability”.
“I know that some adult smokers use nicotine inhaling products to quit smoking so these products, other than disposable vapes, will continue to remain available”.
“The measures I am taking are to reduce use among the youth, so that our children can grow up without the risks associated with these products,” he added.
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications Ossian Smyth said the bill will “achieve the dual policy objectives of health protection and environmental protection”.
“Single-use vapes are a challenge in the context of waste management and are a wasteful use of critical raw materials. They are also very damaging to the environment when discarded as litter,” he concluded.
