On January 27th, The Journal Investigates published a lengthy report titled "Undercover investigation reveals scale of Ireland's illicit vape market", conducting an in-depth analysis of the current situation of Ireland's vape market and revealing numerous problems existing therein, mainly involving the following key aspects:
1. Prevalence of illegal sales: At the end of last year, The Journal Investigates conducted undercover visits to 16 different venues in Dublin. More than 80% (13 venues) sold non-compliant vapes. The illegal sale of disposable vapes was common in Dublin stores, and such stores were widespread throughout Ireland.
2. Diverse product violations: The undercover team purchased various non-compliant products. For example, expired products were found in 3 stores, products without correct health warnings on the packaging were found in 12 stores, products with e-liquid exceeding the legal limit were found in 2 stores, and products without health and safety information leaflets as required were found in 3 stores.
3. Some brands sell products with large capacities: Reporters purchased products with e-liquid exceeding the legal limit from two stores. For instance, the "RandM Tornado 9000 Pro" contained 18 milliliters of e-liquid, nine times the legal amount. A product with the same license number was warned by the European Union, and the manufacturer, Shenzhen Fumot Technology Co., Ltd., did not respond to relevant inquiries. The "Hayati Pro Max" contained 10 milliliters of e-liquid, five times the legal limit, and the manufacturer, PAX International Limited, also did not respond.
4. Severe lack of health warnings: Among the 21 vapes purchased, 15 had health warnings labeled only in English on the packaging, which did not meet the requirement of labeling in both Irish and English. A large number of products on the market lacked correct health warnings, involving many popular brands such as Lost Mary and Elfbar, most of which were not authorized for sale in Ireland.
5. Retailers sell expired products: Five of the vapes purchased by the team had expired for several months, involving brands such as Lost Mary and Elfbar. Some retailers denied selling expired products or did not respond. Three vapes sold at a market stall on Moore Street had all expired in 2023.
6. Retailers' response was chaotic: Some vapes lacked safety leaflets, such as the "RandM Tornado 9000 Pro" and the "DejaVoo Fresh Cube". The store owners claimed that the products had been removed from the shelves but still sold them to the undercover team. In response to questions, they said it was due to customer demand and also stated that they would dispose of the relevant non-compliant products. The importer, Bliz Electronics Limited, did not respond to requests for comment.
7. Law enforcement and supervision are questioned: Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament, pointed out that the prevalence of non-compliant vapes highlights the lack of actual law enforcement and regulatory inspections by the Health Service Executive in retail outlets. Although a target of 40 planned inspections of vape manufacturers and distributors was set last year, it was not known whether it had been completed. The new government has promised to introduce extensive restrictions on vapes, and the relevant EU rules are also under review. The public can report illegal sales activities.
For the full article, please visit:
Undercover investigation reveals scale of Ireland's illicit vape market
