The Government’s ban on single use vapes is a “step in the right direction” but further measures are needed, one of Ireland’s leading oncologists has said. 

Today, the Minister for Public Health Jennifer Murnane O’Connor will present to the Dáil the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025. 

If passed, as expected, it will mean single use vapes will no longer be available to buy in Irish shops. 

A similar ban in Britain this summer has been credited with a noticeable decline in vaping among the general population. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, oncologist John Crown said he welcomes any legislation that makes vapes less easily available. 

“I mean, my own feeling is that we made a colossal mistake with the introduction of vaping many years ago, that we didn't regulate it to within an inch of its life and use it for one purpose only, which is smoking cessation,” he explained. 

“There is no doubt that vaping is far less harmful to your health than smoking. It is not harmless.

“I mean, the harms are intrinsic to vaping itself. It contains dangerous chemicals.”

Professor Crown continued that further restrictions on vapes will be bitterly resisted by the tobacco lobby, who have a vested interest in profit - not people’s health and wellbeing. 

“The tobacco industry, which loses thousands of its customers every year to smoking-related illnesses, has no alternative to maintain its market share but to create new addicts for its products,” he said.

“These, of course, are highly addictive products and one of the best ways of doing it, it would appear now, is getting people vaping at a young age.

“We know that most smokers start smoking before the age of 18. 

“And we've made that more difficult; not difficult enough, I believe, but we've made it more difficult and we need to do the same thing now with vaping.”

Crackdown

Since 2023, it has been illegal to sell vapes to children; however, Professor Crown urged the Government to go further, suggesting the product be made available only to those with a prescription. 

“I know I'm going to get tons of hate mail on this one, but it should only be available through pharmacies, possibly only on prescription,” he said. 

“The number of children who are vaping is frighteningly high. 

“It certainly has become quite commonplace and I do believe it's a nettle we need to grasp. 

“I think this is a step, together with other pieces of legislation which have come along, this is a step in the right direction.”

Main image: Single use disposable vapes lying discarded on the road. Picture by: Richard Newton / Alamy Stock Photo.