{"id":24447,"date":"2025-05-15T10:05:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T10:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=24447"},"modified":"2025-05-15T10:05:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T10:05:52","slug":"rushing-in-a-vape-ban-could-increase-smoking-rates-irish-trade-group-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/rushing-in-a-vape-ban-could-increase-smoking-rates-irish-trade-group-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"Rushing in a vape ban could increase smoking rates, Irish trade group warns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Fast-tracking a vape ban without proper legislative scrutiny could push people back to smoking and devastate small businesses, Ireland\u2019s vape retailers\u2019 trade association has warned.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Public Health (Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2025 proposes sweeping restrictions on vaping. These include banning all e-liquid flavours other than tobacco, and prohibiting the import, manufacture and sale of disposable vapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill would also introduce strict packaging rules, limiting colours and imagery, and banning the use of descriptive terms beyond the basic flavour name. Advertising will be restricted to specialist vape shops only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No adequate scrutiny<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Responsible Vaping Ireland (RVI), the industry\u2019s trade association in Ireland, has written to the chairperson and all members of the newly formed Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health, warning that the Bill is being pushed through without adequate scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RVI argues that such far-reaching changes to vaping rules should not proceed without thorough examination by Oireachtas members and meaningful consultation with key stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trade body criticises the former Health Committee\u2019s decision to bypass pre-legislative scrutiny, a move it says is now being used by the new Government to fast-track the Bill. RVI warns this could drive former smokers back to dangerous cigarettes and force the closure of small vape retailers nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current Government has adopted a draft Bill published before Christmas and is now aiming to publish the full version without first referring it to the reconstituted Health Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploiting delays<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to RVI, it is exploiting the delay in committee appointments caused by prolonged disputes over the opposition speaking rights of Independent TDs (elected members of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RVI emphasises the importance of adhering to proper legislative processes – especially when, it says, the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Bill failed to account for its effect on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-legislative scrutiny is a vital function of Oireachtas Committees, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and that laws are shaped by the best available international evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cLegislation of this scale must be evidence-based and carefully considered – not rushed through the Oireachtas without informed debate,\u201d said Lorraine Carolan, national spokesperson for RVI.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Similar bans have backfired<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Carolan pointed to international examples where similar bans have backfired. \u201cIn countries like Denmark and Estonia, we\u2019ve seen rising smoking rates and a surge in black market vaping products – outcomes so serious that some of these laws were later reversed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data continues to support vaping as a key smoking cessation tool. According to the Healthy Ireland 2023 survey, 25 per cent of those who quit smoking used vaping to help them do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe fully support the responsible regulation of the vaping industry,\u201d Carolan added. \u201cBut there must be balance – evidence shows that blanket bans can often do more harm than good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith over 300 independent vape shops operating across Ireland and hundreds of people employed in the sector, this legislation threatens not just public health outcomes, but also the viability of small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RVI is urging TDs and Senators on the Oireachtas Health Committee to subject the Bill to thorough scrutiny and to consult widely with stakeholders before proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rises in vape taxes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The move comes after shops wishing to sell vapes were hit with an annual charge<\/a> of \u20ac800 in February. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, Ireland introduced a major new levy of 50 cents per millilitre<\/a> (ml) of e-liquid as part of its annual budget. The tax is far above the European average of \u20ac0.10 to \u20ac0.30, and will add \u20ac1.23 to the cost of a typical vape in Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International health experts said the new tax puts smokers\u2019 lives at risk and is a \u201csetback in the fight against tobacco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fast-tracking a vape ban without proper legislative scrutiny could push people back to smoking and devastate small businesses, Ireland\u2019s vape retailers\u2019 trade association has warned.\u00a0 The Public Health (Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2025 proposes sweeping restrictions on vaping. These include banning all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":24448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257,258],"tags":[361,343,186],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-24447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-legislation","tag-denmark","tag-ireland","tag-nicotine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24447"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24454,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24447\/revisions\/24454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24447"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=24447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}