Ireland Takes Historic Step to Ban Disposable E-cigarettes

According to an article by The Irish Mirror on October 13, it has been announced by Ireland's Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, that he has initiated groundbreaking legislation to ban the sale of all disposable e-cigarettes across Ireland, regardless of age.

According to Donaldson, he believes that the tobacco industry is using e-cigarettes to get children to smoke again, stating "we should come down on them like a ton of bricks." This groundbreaking decision comes from Ireland's Health Minister, following a special investigation conducted by the Irish Mirror into the widespread use of e-cigarettes among children.

Currently, Ireland does not have a law prohibiting children from purchasing or selling e-cigarettes. Minister Donnelly delivered a speech during the committee stage of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023, where it was proposed to ban the use of disposable e-cigarettes for individuals under the age of 18 and regulate the industry for adults. However, it was during the discussion of this legislative process that Donnelly revealed he had made a historic move behind the scenes to completely ban disposable e-cigarettes.

He stated that this would require further separate legislation, but the good news is that he has already begun preparing the necessary documents. Donnelly said, "I intend to draft the legislation, and Minister for the Environment Eoghan Smith is likely to consider the legislation from an environmental perspective.

"My goal is to incorporate it into the new bill," revealed Donnelly.

Former Minister of Health and Social Democratic Party member, Rosin Shotor, has raised the issue of a comprehensive ban. She stated, "Now is the appropriate time to ban disposable e-cigarettes." Ms. Shotor further commented that she believes e-cigarette companies, often in collaboration with tobacco companies, are using brightly colored and flavored e-cigarettes "with the intention of attracting young people.

However, Donnelly emphasized that including a provision in this specific legislation would actually slow down the process due to EU market regulations. Therefore, he hopes to change it to parallel legislation. If Donnelly fulfills his promise, Ireland will become one of the first countries in the world to completely ban disposable e-cigarettes.