‘Why are we making the same mistakes 50 years on?’

Fay calls for urgent ban on disposable vapes

“I know for a fact that there are businesses in Cavan that are selling vapes to children under the age of 18,” says Independent Councillor Brendan Fay.

He made the comment at the February monthly meeting of members elected to Cavan County Council where he reiterated his calls for an outright ban on the sale of disposable vapes in future.

The Belturbet man told his council colleagues that he had recently raised the matter at a meeting of the Dublin-North East Drug and Alcohol Forum, adding: “[There are shops] selling these to kids all the time.”

What Cllr Fay wants is to see a greater implementation of fines of up to €4,000 or a six-month term of imprisonment for those caught selling tobacco products or nicotine inhaling products to children.

The stiff penalties were introduced last year, while Cabinet approval was granted to a draft Bill to further regulate nicotine inhaling products, including a complete ban on disposable vapes, similar to the proposals outlined in the UK.

“I feel there is a lot of pussy footing around on this issue,” Cllr Fay told the Celt, in reference to action being taken by both government and the health authorities on limiting the use of cheaper disposable vapes among younger people.

Of critical concern, as was raised at a meeting of Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District late last year, is the emergence of new retail premises that sell single-use vapes alongside products that are more likely to appeal to children such as popular candy brands.

“What’s there already isn’t being acted on. So what I want now is an outright ban on the sale of disposable vapes as a start, and more checks to be carried out on these shops now opening up, selling sweets to kids and vapes on the side. I see it in our own town. You have pizza shops, takeaway restaurants now selling vapes. It’s a total free for all.”

As part of Budget 2025 vaping e-liquids will be subject to a 50c per ml tax, commencing mid-2025, making vapes less affordable to young people.

He says, despite new restrictions on the sale of vapes, “more is still needed”.

Cllr Fay wants the government to push through plans to implement restrictions to product packaging, flavours and display also, saying: “There is no regulation as I see it. The ban on sales to U18’s came in and nobody is taking responsibility. An Garda Síochána are under resourced as it is, the HSE is not taking a hand on it. So who does it fall to?”

Aside from the obvious health aspect, Cllr Fay, a member of Belturbet Tidy Towns, points also to the environmental impact of seeing a large number of spent disposable vapes discarded on streets.

“The majority of the time, if they’re not recycled properly, they go straight to landfills,” he says.

“In the 70s we had the big tobacco companies telling us that smoking cigarettes was great. We all know now that this wasn’t the case. Now a lot of these companies are moving into the vape business. There’s a reason for that. I don’t want my child to turn to me in 30 years time and ask ‘why didn’t I do something about this when I had a chance?’ Why are we making the same mistakes 50 years on?”