Market & regulatory data for the vapour sector in Ireland

12th March 2024: Ireland: The government is planning to impose an excise duty on e-cigarettes in 2025, press reports. Minister of finance Michael McGrath said his department is working on introducing the tax in the next state budget. He explained that the measure aims to protect young people from vaping. No further details about the excise duty have been revealed.
7th December 2023: Ireland: The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill has been adopted in both houses of the parliament. Along with prohibiting the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes to under-18s, it will also introduce retail licensing, prohibit sales of vapour and tobacco products through vending machines and at events intended for children, as well as ban advertising around schools and on vehicles of public transport. The bill must be signed by the president before it enters into force.
27th November 2023: Ireland: The health minister, Stephen Donnelly, and the minister of state for public health, Hildegarde Naughton, have launched a public consultation on the regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products, such as e-cigs. The consultation focuses on what measures could be introduced to reduce the appeal of these products to young people and improve public health. The consultation will examine nicotine inhaling product flavours and packaging, as well as public usage restrictions and taxation. The consultation will be open until 5th January 2024.
9th October 2023: Ireland: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has issued two RAPEX safety alerts against two vaping products. The products in question are the R and M Tornado 9000 Disposable Blueberry Cherry Cranberry and WGA The Crystal Pro Max + 10K Puffs Blueberry Raspberry. They were found to contain more than the permitted amount of nicotine (maximum 20 mg/ml or 2%). The HSE has asked retailers to immediately withdraw these products from sale, and display a recall notice within their premises and on websites.
4th October 2023: Ireland: Ossian Smyth, the minister of state at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, has said he aims to establish a specific tax on disposable e-cigarettes to increase their price, press reports. The government had already previously announced its plans to ban disposables based on health and environmental claims, and Smyth launched a consultation on disposable e-cigarettes last June. However, he is waiting to study how the prohibition could be implemented so it does not breach EU law. “I have to go to the EU and get what's like the equivalent of planning permission to take something off the market,” he said. The minister said the tax could not be implemented by the end of the year.
27th September 2023: UK/Ireland: The Superdrug pharmacy chain joins Waitrose supermarkets in their commitment to stop selling disposables. In addition to their UK stores, Superdrug will also stop sales in Ireland. The decision comes two weeks after reported rumours about government plans to consult on banning disposables.
18th September 2023: Ireland: Almost 85% of participants in the public consultation on disposable vaping products support a ban on those products, press reports. The public consultation, which was launched in June 2023 and ended in August, received 3,246 submissions. Of the participants, 91% said disposable vaping products represent an environmental concern. A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said the results from the consultation are being studied and will be published soon. It is likely that a bill will be introduced following the recommendations that were submitted to the consultation.
30th August 2023: Ireland: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has warned the public to stop using five different flavours of the McKesse brand of e-cigarettes. The vaping products have been reported to the European Safety Gate (the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products) because they exceed the 20 mg/ml nicotine limit. The HSE has contacted all major Irish distributors of e-cigarettes and refill containers and asked them to stop selling them. People can return the products to the shops where they bought them.
17th July 2023: Ireland: The Health Service Executive (HSE)'s National Tobacco Control Office has submitted a RAPEX alert notification to the European Safety Gate for two vaping products exceeding the permitted nicotine concentration of 20 mg/ml or 2%. The products in question are the disposable e-cigarettes "Blue & Razz Ice" and "Green Apple Ice" from the brand McKesse. The HSE has urged customers to stop using these products and has asked them to return them to the shop they were bought in. Retailers have also been asked to withdraw the products from the market immediately. This comes only two weeks after two other products were alerted and withdrawn from the market for the same reason.
29th June 2023: Ireland: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a safety alert notice and notified the European Safety Gate, the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products, about two e-liquid products that it found contained more than the permitted 2% level of nicotine. Retailers have been asked to remove the products from sale, contact the HSE at info.tpd@hse.ie with product and full traceability details, and to post a recall notice at their premises.
9th June 2023: Ireland: The minister of state at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth, has launched a public consultation on disposable vaping devices. The consultation will help to "inform Ireland's policy response to dealing with waste disposable vaping devices". In order to participate in the consultation, this survey must be submitted. The closing date for receipt of completed surveys is 5:30pm on Thursday, 27th July 2023.

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