Ireland’s vape flavour ban advances despite warnings it could send ex-smokers back to cigarettes

The legislation passed on 21 October, restricting permitted vape flavour names to tobacco and unflavoured. A bid to save menthol was defeated by 28 votes to seven.

Eoin O’Boyle, who runs OB Vape in Drogheda, says customers who finally stopped smoking could lose the flavours that helped them make the switch.

“Take that away and a lot of them will go back to cigarettes,” he said. “That’s not a health policy.”

His concerns echo earlier warnings from organisations representing Irish vape retailers.

Responsible Vaping Ireland warned in May that restrictions could undermine adults’ efforts to stay off cigarettes. The association backed measures to prevent children accessing nicotine products but opposed the proposed flavour limits.

Joe Dunne, spokesperson for the Reduced Risk Products Association, also warned in March that a tobacco-only market would leave most specialist vape shops unable to survive.

The warnings come after the legislation cleared its final Seanad stages on 21 October. It would restrict permitted vape flavour names to tobacco and unflavoured. A bid to save menthol was defeated by 28 votes to seven.

Fears for smokers and shops

O’Boyle has run his independent, family-owned shop for eight years. He fears the restrictions will make the business unviable.

Some of his customers are in their seventies and eighties, having smoked for decades before finding a vape flavour they enjoyed. He believes removing that choice could push them towards cigarettes or unregulated supplies.

He supports stronger enforcement against underage sales and action on displays that appeal to children. But he wants ministers to retain menthol and other flavours used by adults.

Warning reaches parliament

Similar concerns surfaced in the Seanad debate. Senator Joanne Collins said she would return to cigarettes if she could no longer buy her preferred flavours. Senator Maria McCormack also questioned the impact on adults who had stopped smoking.

Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O’Connor defended the restrictions as a way to reduce vaping’s appeal to young people. She acknowledged that responses to flavour restrictions could include switching to tobacco, but cited Dutch evidence which she said showed overall reductions in smoking and vaping.

Higher taxes too

The flavour restrictions come as Irish vapers face another hit to their wallets.

Under Budget 2027, duty on e-liquid will rise from 50 cents to 70 cents per millilitre from 1 January. That’s a 40 per cent increase, taking the tax on a 10ml bottle from €5 to €7, before VAT.

O’Boyle had already warned the Meath Chronicle earlier this month that higher taxes could send customers towards cigarettes or the black market. He now fears flavour restrictions will pile further pressure on independent shops.

Together, the measures raise two concerns for his business: whether customers can afford the products on its shelves, and whether those shelves will still carry the flavours they want to buy.

Questions over the rules

The debate also exposed a distinction in the legislation, which is that it controls flavour names, rather than the ingredients inside the liquid.

Senator Sharon Keogan questioned whether manufacturers could exploit that gap.

Murnane O’Connor said ingredients were being discussed with EU counterparts.

The minister also said the health minister would decide the lead-in period for the measures. The debate didn’t establish a fixed start date for the flavour restrictions.