A local TD has said that reducing the sale and circulation of vape products amongst children is one of her top priorities.
In Ireland, studies have shown that almost four in ten 15 and 16-year-olds had tried vapes and almost one in five were current users.
A Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study found that almost one in ten 13-year-olds had used a vape.
Speaking on the Saturday Show, Minister of State at the Department of Health Jennifer Murnane O’Connor said that the issue was not only confined to children in secondary schools.
“So at the moment, I’m setting out a campaign from September, an awareness campaign, and I’m going to be targeting schools. What I’ve put in my proposal is that we actually target primary schools and secondary schools, and I’m also looking at bringing in a ban on disposable vapes, I think that’s really important. Also, there’ll be a fee, so anyone that sells vapes now, from February 2026 they’ll have to have a licence, which means we’ll be able to monitor it more, but vapes is a huge concern for me.”
