Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has cited a negative impact on public health and the environment as the reason for introducing this measure. The proposed legislation, the Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill, involves the introduction of a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of single use vapes in Ireland.
The bill will make it so that only shops predominantly selling vape and nicotine products will be allowed to advertise and display vapes. The bill also advocates for limiting the flavour of vapes to tobacco, although there are provisions for this to be amended in the future.
Cabinet has approved the bill on the grounds that disposable vapes are harmful to public health as well as cause an environmental risk.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has supported the proposed ban, arguing that “We need to take action”. However, the bill is protested by the lobby group Vape Business Ireland who argue that banning disposable vapes could cause individuals who quit smoking to return to cigarettes.
This new legislation is likely to be welcomed by the Healthy Trinity Tobacco Group, which has been working in conjunction with Trinity staff and students to reduce smoking on campus. From 2016 to 2020, there has been almost an 80% decrease in observed smokers on campus, thanks to the introduction of smoke-free zones.
Speaking to students on campus about the proposed ban, the majority are happy to see an end to disposable vapes. One student, despite using disposable vapes for years, is happy to see them go: “They’re too accessible to younger teenagers and children, with bright colours and sweet flavours”.
The environmental impact of single use vapes is another reason why students are pleased with the ban. Another student stated in a comment to The University Times that “You see disposable vapes littered everywhere. The batteries in them harm the environment. Sure, you can recycle them, but most people don’t”.
The UK public health group, Action on Smoking and Health reported in 2023 that the number of young people aged between eleven and seventeen years old who have ever vaped stands at 20 percent.
