Legislation Proposed in Ireland to Restrict E-Cigarette Sales to Minors

According to the news website newstalk, Ireland's Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has submitted legislation to parliament to ban the purchase of e-cigarettes by individuals under the age of 18.

Minister of State Hildeguarde Naughton stated, "I have committed to further legislating in this regard.

Norton added that the government has initiated a consultation campaign, which will continue until January 5th of next year, in order to seek people's opinions and understand what measures Ireland needs to take to reduce the appeal of nicotine products.

Over the next four weeks, the government will seek public input on several areas, including:

The display of nicotine inhalation products, including flavored e-cigarettes, in stores and the increasing sales of tobacco and nicotine inhalation products through agency distribution have raised concerns. As smoking in outdoor dining areas is now subject to stricter regulations and the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products has been raised, there is also a proposal to increase the price of e-cigarettes. In response, the pro-smoking rights organization "Forest" has criticized the suggested further regulation, citing the risk of hastily formulating policies.

John Mallon, spokesperson for Forest, stated, "We urge the government not to succumb to moral panic over e-cigarettes and to regulate low-risk products in a lenient manner to avoid undermining their effectiveness as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes."