Government Ban Selling Of Vaping Products To Under 18s

The Government have confirmed the banning of the sale of nicotine inhaling products including e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.

This ban was announced by the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who secured Cabinet backing earlier this year, with the law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes which are commonly known as vapes, to people under the age of 18.

This law known as Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, will come into effect from tomorrow (December 22).

As well as additional measures, this law now makes it a criminal offence to sell nicotine inhaling products to a child, carrying a fine of up to €4,000, and a possible 6 month prison sentence.

Other measures also include the prohibiting of selling tobacco and nicotine inhaling products at events to children, as part of a bid to prevent smoking and vaping among children and adults.

Bans will also be put in place on advertising nicotine inhaling products around schools, and public transport, with stricter licencing systems in place for the retail sale of these products.

"I committed to bringing this ban on the sale of vaping products to under 18s into law before Christmas and I am pleased that I have been able to do that by signing the commencement order", Mr Donnelly said following this announcement. "I thank colleagues in both Houses of the Oireachtas who understood the urgency for our children and who supported me to get this law enacted quickly".

This also comes just weeks after Mr Donnelly and Hildegarde Naughton Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, had launched a public consultation into the future regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products, including e-cigarettes.