Taoiseach Micheál Martin vows to come down even harder on sale of vapes
He made the comments at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, which is taking place this week at the Dublin Convention Centre.
Under plans devised by former health minister Stephen Donnelly, a new licensing system for the retail sale of tobacco products and nicotine-inhaling products such as e-cigarettes will be introduced in February 2026. This will enable retail outlets to obtain annual licences to sell these products.
Despite Cabinet approving plans in September 2024 to ban disposable vapes and flavours, the Irish Mirror understands there is still no date for the implementation of the plans.
A ban on disposable vapes came into effect in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on June 1.
The Taoiseach vowed on Monday that the legislation will be introduced and there will be a further crackdown on the products.
Mr Martin said: 'I'm a very strong opponent of vapes and I have been from the beginning.
'There was very little due diligence done in terms of the composition of vapes and in terms of their impact on health.
'It's quite extraordinary that products of that kind got on the market and onto the shelves without any real health and safety analysis. That has always been my position.
'Any measures that reduce or eliminate vapes from the perspective of public health is a good thing.
'Ireland has made significant moves on that front. We will have significant restrictions coming in next February as a result of the legislation passed by the last Government.
'There is further legislation being planned in terms of the sale of disposable, the use of flavours, and I would see this as a continuation of measures that were adopted last year."
He added: 'Certainly, I would favour the strongest possible measures against vaping. I spoke to [Former Chief Medical Adviser to the US President] Dr [Anthony] Fauci when he was in Dublin last year, and I spoke to a lot of public health experts.
'A lot of research has been undertaken now highlighting the dangers posed by vapes to the lungs of people and potential health conditions that can arise after use.'
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