E-CIGARETTE ADVERTS WILL be banned from areas where children are present from September under new provisions which were commenced by health minister Stephen Donnelly this week.

The new provisions in the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 will prohibit e-cigarette and vaping advertising from appearing before cinema films for children, on public transport infrastructure and within 200 metres of a school.

The new measures will also place an outright ban on the sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products, such as vapes, at events aimed at children.

The were enacted by Donnelly on Thursday when his Department were making the 20-year anniversary of the smoking ban. The Minister said he is interested in raising the age of smoking to 21 years old and is considering an full ban on vaping products.

This came as his fellow Fianna Fáil colleagues and the party’s MEPs, Billy Kelleher and Barry Andrews, both made calls to place a ban on all e-cigarette devices.

The process for legislating new restrictions is complicated, as it would involve a public consultation and could potentially disrupt the EU single market. But Donnelly didn’t seem too influenced by those hurdles.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly (third left) and Tanaiste Micheal Martin (third right) with a group of 20 year olds at Government Buildings in Dublin Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The minister said that further legislation is now being drafted to target marketing of vapes in shops, adding: “We’re looking at flavourings, we’re looking at packaging as well.”

“So there are a lot of different measures that we’re taking in terms of really coming down hard on vaping,” he said.

The move was backed by Tánaiste Micheál Martin – who was health minister when Ireland introduced the indoor smoking ban in 2004 – and junior public health minister Hildegarde Naughton.

Martin accused the tobacco industry of operating on a strategy of “getting young people addicted at a very young age”, which he said is being recreated with the introduction of e-cigarettes.

“Without question the same playbook is in operation in respect to vapes as was in operation for tobacco. Essentially, it’s an addictive substance, get them young – get them addicted for life,” he said.

He criticised the presentation of vaping products “as sweets” that are easily accessible to children.