Ireland has moved closer to banning most flavoured vapes after new nicotine laws cleared the Dáil.
The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 passed its final stage in the Dáil on Wednesday and will now go to the Seanad, where it is expected to be debated in July.
If enacted, the bill would sharply restrict the Irish vape market by limiting legal vape flavours to tobacco and unflavoured products. It would also clamp down on colourful packaging, point-of-sale displays and retail advertising.
The Government is waiting on the EU notification process before the legislation can be enacted, with ministers aiming to have the measures in operation by the end of the year.
What the bill would change
The bill is designed to reduce the appeal, visibility and accessibility of vapes and other nicotine products, particularly among young people.
Under the proposed law, Ireland would:
- Prohibit the sale of nicotine pouches and other nicotine consumption products to under-18s.
- Ban advertising of vapes and nicotine consumption products in all retail outlets.
- Ban point-of-sale display of vapes and nicotine consumption products in mixed retail outlets, such as supermarkets, garages and newsagents.
- Restrict colours and imagery on vape devices and packaging.
- Ban vape devices designed to resemble other products, including toys or games.
- Limit vape flavours to tobacco and unflavoured products.
The bill would also give ministers powers to regulate flavour names and update the law if new nicotine products enter the market.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said when the bill was approved by Government. She said: “This Bill will enhance and expand existing legislation on nicotine inhaling products by reducing their appeal, visibility and accessibility. It will also prohibit the sale of current and future recreational nicotine products to minors and reduce their visibility in retail outlets.”
She added: “Together these laws represent a comprehensive package to limit the promotion and sale of these addictive products. They also illustrate Ireland’s continuing leadership on tobacco and nicotine control, as part of efforts to support and protect our population to live healthier lives.”
Pouches row
The Dáil debate also exposed pressure to go further on nicotine pouches, which are covered by some of the bill’s restrictions but not the proposed packaging controls.
Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice argued that pouches were currently “displayed in shops with bright, colourful packaging” and said they were becoming increasingly popular with teenagers.
He pushed for nicotine pouches to be included in the packaging restrictions, but junior health minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor rejected the amendment, saying it would require a fresh EU notification and could delay the bill by up to a year.
The bill already brings nicotine pouches into Irish law by banning their sale to under-18s and restricting their advertising and display.
Youth vaping drives crackdown
Ireland’s latest Healthy Ireland Survey found that eight per cent of the population currently uses vapes, either daily or occasionally. Use is highest among younger people, with 18 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds saying they vape daily or occasionally.
The same survey found that 50 per cent of vape users are ex-smokers, 33 per cent are current smokers and 17 per cent have never smoked.
That means the restrictions will affect a mixed market: young people who have never smoked, adults who smoke and adults who have already switched away from cigarettes.
Smoking remains more common than vaping in Ireland. The Healthy Ireland Survey found that 17 per cent of the population are current smokers, with 13 per cent smoking daily and four per cent occasionally.
HSE guidance says vaping may be less harmful than smoking because it delivers nicotine with fewer toxins than cigarettes, but it is not harm-free.
Part of wider nicotine clampdown
The flavour and packaging bill is one part of a wider Irish crackdown on tobacco and nicotine products.
Ireland has already banned the sale of vapes to under-18s. Separate legislation to ban single-use vapes is also moving through the Oireachtas, driven by concerns about youth use, illegal products and environmental waste.
The Oireachtas Library and Research Service has estimated that enforcing the current bill and the separate single-use vape ban would require an additional €3.1 million a year.
The Government says the new rules are needed because existing regulation has not been enough to reverse youth vaping trends.
For adult smokers and former smokers, the policy will leave a much narrower legal vape market. For young people, ministers argue it will make nicotine products less visible, less colourful and less appealing.
The Seanad debate will decide whether Ireland presses ahead with one of the tighter vape flavour regimes in Europe.
