The sale of vaping products to people under 18 has been banned under a new law which comes into effect tomorrow .Sharon Lynch looks at what the changes will mean.
What is vaping?
Vaping is seen as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes and useful for helping smokers quit.
It involves heating a liquid that contains nicotine in what is called an e-cigarette and turning it into a vapour that users inhale.
However studies have shown the potential of long-term harm from the addictive e-cigarettes.
What are the changes?
Those under the age of 18 will no longer be allowed to buy vaping products in Ireland under the new law.
In Ireland, there had been no mandatory age restriction on the sale of e-cigarettes.
What else?
The new law will limit the type of retailers that can sell nicotine-inhaling products, banning them from vending machines or at events for children.
It will also ban advertisements for e-cigarettes near schools and on public transport.
This is aiming to limit children's exposure to messages normalising these cigarettes.
When are the changes coming?
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly brought the finalised bill to Cabinet for approval earlier this year.
Legislation banning the sale of e-cigarettes to those aged under 18 is now being enacted.
From tomorrow onwards, it will be an offence to sell a nicotine inhaling product to a person under the age of 18.
Why are e-cigarettes being banned to under 18s?
An evidence review by the Health Research Board found that children who vaped were five times more likely to start smoking.
Recently published surveys of Irish school-aged children showed that 9% of 12-to-17-year-olds and 15.5% of 15 and 16-year-olds use electronic cigarettes.
Vaping videos feature prominently on platforms like TikTok where the hashtag '#vape' has more than ten billion views, suggesting social media is playing an important role in the promotion of vaping here.
Where else is vaping banned to teens?
The sale of e-cigarettes to teenagers is already banned in a number of European countries.
However until now there has been no mandatory age restriction on the sale or marketing of e-cigarettes in Ireland.
Australia recently introduced a total ban on recreational vaping to stop an alarming rise in teenage vaping.
