NEWS
To get us back on track we need a new approach and vaping should be a central component within that .
“
Irish politicians are being urged not to ban flavoured vape products when they pass new legislation to regulate the industry .
John Dunne from Vape Business Ireland said it was vital to protect young people from all forms of nicotine but insisted that a flavour ban was not the answer .
Giving evidence at the Oireachtas Health Committee , he said the country ’ s 200,000 vapers needed access to flavoured products to stop them returning to deadly cigarettes .
He said he strongly supported proposals in the Public Health ( Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products ) Bill to limit vape sales to over 18s .
Currently there is no minimum age limit in the country to buy e-cigarettes , but many vape store owners refuse to sell products to adolescents and young adults .
He said encouraging adult smokers to switch to vaping should form a ‘ key part ’ of the country ’ s ambitions to be tobacco free by 2025 .
Dunne said : “ The smoking rate has actually increased for the first time in many years and with the current smoking rate at 18 percent we are nowhere near reaching this goal .
“ To get us back on track we need a new approach and vaping should be a central component within that .
“ The 2019 Healthy Ireland survey showed that compared to NRT , almost four times as many successful quit attempts were attributed to vaping .”
He described the proposed ban on the sale of vaping products to under 18s as ‘ the most critical part of the Bill ’.
Dunne added : “ We must both protect young people while creating a controlled environment where vaping products are available to our adult Irish smokers looking to switch to a less harmful alternative .”
OB Vape owner Eoin O ’ Boyle told the hearing that he opened his business after being inspired by ‘ the transformative power of vaping on the lives of smokers ’.
He said : “ Ireland needs to take a supportive and proportionate regulatory stance on vaping .
46