New research shows urgent need for rethink on vaping ban – RVI
Major review finds nicotine vapes more effective than traditional smoking cessation measures as Ireland remains stuck at 17% smoking rate
The representative body for vape retailers is calling on Government to reconsider plans to restrict the flavours available in regulated vaping products, warning that removing all but a very limited number of flavours could make it harder for adult smokers to quit and risk pushing consumers towards cigarettes or the black market.
The call comes as a major international review finds that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective at helping people quit smoking than traditional smoking cessation measures.
The Cochrane review, which examined 80 trials involving almost 30,000 people, found that smokers using nicotine e-cigarettes had a significantly higher chance of quitting than those using nicotine replacement measures such as patches and gum, increasing the success rate by about 60% from six in every 100 to one in 10.
RVI says the findings should prompt the Government to take a more evidence-based approach to vaping as it prepares to bring the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill back before the Oireachtas later this year.
An RVI spokesperson said “This research reinforces the widely held view that regulated vaping products can be one of the most effective tools available to adult smokers trying to quit.
That evidence is particularly important in Ireland, where smoking rates remain stubbornly high at 17%.
Tobacco Free Ireland initially set a target of reducing smoking prevalence to below 5% by 2025. We are nowhere near that target, and if Ireland is serious about driving smoking rates down, regulated alternatives such as vaping products must remain available to adult smokers looking to quit.
Government needs to seriously consider whether its current approach is helping or hindering the goal of getting more people off cigarettes. Restricting access to regulated vaping products without properly considering the consequences risks making it harder for smokers to make the switch.”
They added “Ireland should learn from experiences in other countries like Estonia and the Netherlands, where restrictive rules caused a balloon in the blackmarket and pushed people back towards smoking.
When the Nicotine Bill returns before the Oireachtas, Government should seriously consider retaining a limited list of basic flavours. Otherwise, we risk sleepwalking into the same mistakes made elsewhere and undermining our entire tobacco-free strategy.”
RVI has consistently called for proportionate, evidence-based regulation which protects young people, tackles illicit products and preserves vaping’s role as a harm-reduction option for adult smokers.
