Martin: Laws to ban sale of vapes to under 18s will help improve younger people's lives

Tánaiste 'really shocked at the manner in which it has been marketed towards young people in particular'

Micheál Martin said vaping was 'very dangerous, particularly for young people'. Picture: AP

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said new laws which will ban the sale of vapes to under 18s will help improve the lives of younger people.

Mr Martin was speaking outside Government Buildings on his way to a Cabinet meeting where Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will seek to get sign-off on legislation which will be enacted by July.

Mr Martin said vaping was "very dangerous, particularly for young people".

He has been "really shocked at the manner in which it has been marketed towards young people in particular".

The new law will also limit the type of retailers that can sell nicotine-inhaling products.

It will also ban advertisements for e-cigarettes near schools and on public transport. This is aiming to limit children's exposure to messages normalising or glamourising vaping. 

Mr Martin said the Government would "work with opposition during the course of the legislation if it can be strengthened even further, particularly in terms of the marketing aspects towards young people".

He said Ireland had made "great strides in respect of tobacco use, reducing tobacco use among young people since the smoking ban".

The Tánaiste said the legislation was "important in making sure future generations of young people don't get attracted to vaping".

"In many ways, I see vaping as the revenge of the tobacco industry in terms of getting people hooked on nicotine again," he added.

The sale of e-cigarettes to adolescents is already banned in a number of European countries.

Mr Donnelly will tell colleagues there is clear evidence that adolescent nicotine exposure can have long-term consequences for brain development.

Recently published surveys of Irish school-aged children show 9% of 12-to-17-year-olds and 15.5% of 15 and 16-year-olds use electronic cigarettes.

An evidence review by the Health Research Board found children who vaped were five times more likely to start smoking.