The Health Department has reported receiving grievances from citizens regarding a vaping organisation that was allegedly providing monetary incentives for clients’ contribution to a public enquiry on the regulation of tobacco and vaping items. Incentives comprised online shopping coupons and discounts in physical stores.
Claims from some people suggested that in-store employees filled submissions on their behalf, with copies also dispatched to them via email. These individuals were reportedly unaware of the content or the answers provided in the submissions. One such response was disregarded on the individual’s request.
Despite specifically seeking opinions from only those residing in Ireland, international coverage of the consultation was observed, notably by a US-based advocacy group with ties to the tobacco industry. The department affirmed that due to the inability to collect identification details, distinguishing fraudulent responses was unfeasible. Any response labelled as ‘from a resident of Ireland’ was considered to be legitimate.
The public enquiry ran for six weeks from November 2023 to January 2024, focusing on possible further actions to discourage young individuals from using nicotine aerosolising products, to normalise non-smoking behaviours, and to promote public health.
The enquiry received a total of 15,821 responses, with 90 percent of the respondents currently using vaping products. Other feedback included organisations and individuals in the fields of health, education, consumer rights, retail, hospitality, and the production and sale of nicotine inhalation and tobacco products.
The majority of respondents opposed the regulation of vaping product flavours; however, they supported the idea of specialised retailers offering variant flavours under certain restrictions. The respondents also opposed further restrictions on smoke-free vaping.
Generally, those against the regulations cited the benefits of vaping products in helping with smoking cessation, the less harmful impact of vaping compared to smoking, and the lack of evidence to suggest long-term harm.
Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly has stated that there is a potent backing by the public to take additional steps concerning nicotine and tobacco. He expressed his plans to enact laws to govern the promotion and visibility of e-cigarettes in shops and to control their packaging, aesthetics, and the variety of e-liquid flavours. He further announced a prohibition on single-use e-cigarettes, given their harmful impacts on both young people’s health and our environment. He has previously addressed this matter through the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023, which entails forbidding the sale of e-cigarettes to those under 18 and the introduction of a new licensing system. Nevertheless, he believes there’s still more work to be done. To this end, he emphasised his dedication to propelling further statutes forward promptly following the summer season.