Irish health minister: legislation launched to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes

Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that he has launched landmark legislation to ban the sale of all disposable e-cigarettes in Ireland for all age groups.

According to a breaking report by the Irish Mirror on October 13, Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that he has launched landmark legislation to ban the sale of all disposable e-cigarettes in Ireland for all age groups. 

Donnelly said he believes the tobacco industry is using e-cigarettes to get children smoking again, adding that “we should come down on them like a ton of bricks.” This groundbreaking decision by Ireland’s health minister followed a special Irish Mirror investigation into the widespread use of e-cigarettes among children. 

At present, Ireland has no law banning the purchase or sale of e-cigarettes to children. Minister Donnelly was speaking at the committee stage of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023, which proposes banning the use of disposable e-cigarettes by those under 18 and regulating the industry for adults. However, during discussion of the legislation, Donnelly revealed that he had already taken historic steps behind the scenes to impose a complete ban on disposable e-cigarettes. 

He said this would require separate additional legislation, but the good news is that he has already begun preparing the paperwork for it. Donnelly said: “I intend to legislate, and Environment Minister Ossian Smyth is also likely to pursue legislation from an environmental perspective.

“My intention is to include it in a new bill,” Donnelly revealed. 

Former Health Minister and Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall was the first to raise the issue of a full ban. She said: “Now is the right time to ban disposable e-cigarettes.” Ms. Shortall added that she believes e-cigarette companies, and often tobacco companies as well, are using brightly colored, sweet-flavored e-cigarettes “designed to attract young people.” 

But Donnelly stressed that, because of EU market rules, including such a provision in this particular legislation would actually slow the process, so he hopes to pursue parallel legislation instead. If Donnelly follows through on his pledge, Ireland will become one of the first countries in the world to completely ban disposable e-cigarettes.