Based on Central Statistics Office figures this means that there are around 246,000 people who use vapes or e-cigarettes, equating roughly to one in 20 people. The Healthy Ireland report also indicated, that in the last five years the portion of the population who smoke, has fallen from 23 to 17%. Over the same period the number of people who reported vaping has increased by only 2%, from 3 to 5% of the population.
The survey has also shown that of the smokers who attempted to quit, some 38% used e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tools. From interviews conducted over the last year with 7,413 people living in Ireland aged 15 or older, one quarter of Irish people aged between 25 and 34 have tried vaping, with 8% eight per cent of that age cohort being current users.
Age limit regulation
Meanwhile, Ireland’s Health Minister Simon Harris, has recently proposed a legislation to Cabinet which would ban the sales of vaping products to young adults aged under 18. The measure would end the sale of tobacco products from self-service vending machines, and would be backed by enforcement regulations including fixed penalty notices.
Additionally, it would ban the sales of tobacco products from any child-friendly events. The measure would also introduce a new licensing system for the sale of tobacco and vaping products, and if passed, it would set in place an annual fee for this licence.
Vaping products to be tested for their chemical content
Meanwhile, in response to the infamous cases of lung-disease outbreak in the US, Ireland’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) wants the State Laboratory to test e-cigarettes and e-liquids for their nicotine and general chemical content. The State Laboratory undertakes chemical analyses for a variety of different purposes, including monitoring the quality and safety of Irish food, and prosecuting fraud e.g., the sale of counterfeit products.
Read Further: The Irish Times
