A new immediate penalty of €2,000 has been implemented for the sale or induction of sale of tobacco and nicotine inhalation products—such as e-cigarettes—at events targeted towards children or those in which the majority of attendees are children.
Stephen Donnelly, the Health Minister enacted several parts of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 in March. This legislation will be effective from September 23rd. A representative for the Minister stated that these measures are part of a more extensive agenda to strengthen control over nicotine-inhaling products and eradicate tobacco use. However, the Act doesn’t specify the type of events where these new fines will be applicable.
The new rules also ban the promotion of nicotine inhalation products around kids’ films, on public transport vehicles, and within 200 metres of schools.
Under the Environmental Health Service of the Health Service Executive, the new law will be enforced.
The government green-lighted the drafting of the Public Health (Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill last week, which aims to regulate the packaging, flavours, and showcase of vaping products in retail stores and outlaw single-use or disposable vapes.