Flavour bans, taxation and a new age limit for e-cigarettes await after the elections.
The 2020 elections in Ireland were a real shocker. Especially for road users and e-cigarette companies. Tougher laws with flavour bans and taxation are on the horizon.
Several Irish parties want to impose restrictions on e-cigarettes in the country. In addition to the current laws, which, like Sweden, are based on the EU Tobacco Directive, the two largest parties want to introduce restrictions on e-cigarettes, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil restrict access for young people through a ban on marketing and an 18-year age limit for purchase. The Republican Fianna Fáil and The Green Party want to go even further and propose restrictions on flavouring the e-liquid. The discussions focus on sweets, pastries and fruit flavours, which according to the parties attract young people.
"It is worrying that four major parties mention e-cigarettes in their manifestos, ranging from flavour bans to taxation. They do so without once saying on what scientific basis they want to impose restrictions," the organisation writes. New Nicotine Alliance Irelanda harm reduction organisation for smokers in Ireland.
Should encourage e-cigs
According to NNA Ireland, the parties' actions are based on emotion rather than science. NNA points to the neighbouring country of England, which has a more generous legislation on e-cigarettes. According to UK studies, smoking rates have declined rapidly since the authorities took a favourable approach to e-cigarettes.
"Our future politicians should get involved and encourage people to use these products, not discourage them," writes Mr Perez. NNA Ireland. "They should at least talk to users and the organisations that represent them. We can only be clear and urge road users in Ireland to question their politicians on this issue."
Adults like candy flavours
According to NNA Ireland, Ireland's up to 250,000 road users account for nearly five per cent of the country's vote. The vast majority use so-called 'child-friendly' flavours such as sweets, pastries and fruits as a strategy to distance themselves from cigarettes, NNA Ireland notes. According to the organisation, there are no robust studies to prove that the flavours attract young people more than they attract adult users.
"These are adult smokers who have chosen e-cigarettes to quit smoking. It has been proven that flavours are very important to them. This means that a flavour ban risks attracting people back to smoking. The parties' attitude is based on ignorance of vaping," writes NNA Ireland.
Irish elections leaning towards a dead race The votes were not fully counted at the time of this article.
Read more about Vejpning and the Irish elections here:
ETHRA (European Tobacco Harm Reduction Association)
Read more on Vejpkollen:
The UK is investing in e-cigarettes
Flavour ban leads to more smokers
Vaping attracts young people from smoking
