Before Ireland’s vaping ban takes effect, even second-grade students are vaping

In Ireland, disposable e-cigarettes priced under 10 euros are sold in bright colors and flavors like blueberry raspberry and green gummy bears at almost every gas station, with many specialized e-cigarette shops also offering them.<\/p>

The new regulations will prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to individuals under 18 starting December 22, 2023, but considering reports from schools in Cork indicating that even second-grade students are using e-cigarettes, is this measure too late?<\/p>

In addition to the law, the new SPHE curriculum for first to third-year students includes lessons on e-cigarettes, tobacco, nicotine addiction, and the marketing of e-cigarettes and tobacco products, but pediatricians warn that "more measures are needed to curb the surge of e-cigarette use among Irish youth."<\/p>

Alan Wolfe, principal of Coláiste éamann Rís in Cork, told The Echo: "Clearly, the visibility of smoking in schools has significantly decreased; you no longer see students smoking.<\/p>

"Catching them vaping is much more difficult because they don't have the obvious smell of cigarettes, making it a challenging issue to manage.<\/p>

"Previously, you would see cigarette packs and lighters peeking out of their pockets, but now they can easily hide a Lost Mary [e-cigarette] on their person, making it much harder to catch them since you can't smell anything."<\/p>