The Minister for Health has described a move to ban the sale of disposable vapes as “radical”, after the Cabinet rubber-stamped draft legislation to bring in further restrictions on nicotine products.
Stephen Donnelly said it is a measure to protect children and young people, following a rise in the number of teenagers who are vaping.
As part of the Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill, there will be a restriction on the sale of flavours which appeal to children, as well as a ban on point of sale advertising displays in shops.
Mr Donnelly said the measures have been introduced on health and environmental grounds.
However, he admitted that disposable vapes can still be purchased online and brought into the state.
He said that the State is banning around 16,000 flavours of disposable vapes.
Mr Donnelly said that flavourings such as bubble gum is a “very deliberate and cynical” targeting of children.
“When you walk into a newsagents or petrol station, we are bombarded with bright colours and (images) of bubble gum flavours,” Mr Donnelly said.
“In terms of banning disposable vapes, there is the added benefit of the environmental benefit.
“We see the vapes around on the ground.”
He added: “The Bill that I brought to Cabinet today is a ban on disposable vapes, it has a restriction on flavours and is going down to one flavour and that can be increased by a minister through legislation.
“We are moving to plain packaging and we are moving to remove the point of sale.”
Mr Donnelly said he would also like to speak to the Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers, about the introduction of tax on vaping products.
While VAR is charged on vaping products, they do not have excise duty placed on them.
“It’s certainly a conversation I would like to have with Minister Chambers. We want to make sure it works from a public health perspective,” he added.
“It’s a conversation I will look forward to having and I will be supportive of any measure that has a public health benefit to it.”
He added: “What we’re doing today is taking a pretty radical new approach.
“We’ll have a full ban on disposable vapes. We’ll have a ban on all flavours, bar one.
“We’ve already seen the move to ban (vape) sales to under 18, and there are other restrictions around vending machines, pop-up shops, and there’s a new licensing system that’s going to come in place.
“Between the Act that’s already passed and the Bill that I brought to Cabinet today, it represents a pretty radical move, from a public health perspective in terms of keeping children safe.
“My view, and I think it’s a view that a lot of people share, a lot of parents share, is that the flavourings that we see, like bubble gum flavour and sweet flavour and some of the packaging, I believe, is a very deliberate and cynical targeting of children.
“I think a lot of parents share that view, and I think it’s important we move in a very decisive way to to keep children safe.”
