Vape Business Ireland Launch New Report – ‘blueprint for sensible vaping regulation in Ireland’

Vape Business Ireland has launched a new report which it calls a ‘blueprint for sensible vaping regulation in Ireland’  – supporting local retailers and  helping smokers to quit.

Vape Business Ireland is the nation’s largest trade association for vaping retailers. VBI supports, advises and guides the sellers of vaping products, who in turn help smokers to quit.

‘We represent the Irish vaping industry in advocating for harm reduction, youth access prevention and evidence-based regulations. The association represents the interests of its members to a range of stakeholders to ensure the right conditions exist for the success of the industry in meeting its objectives.

‘VBI had campaigned for a ban on the sale of vaping products to under-18s; and we welcomed the ban which came into effect in December 2023. More recently, VBI has been leading calls for enforcement of the ban, including through increased resourcing of the inspection function of the HSE Environmental Health Services.

The report finds that there were approximately 420,000 vapers in Ireland in 2023and that vaping has many significant positive impacts, including  helping people to quit smoking; as well as delivering substantial margin and profit to local convenience stores, helping them to keep their lights on and doors open.

However, the new report states that these benefits could be put at risk by the current, limited level of enforcement and the threat of an ill-informed rush to further regulation.

‘One in four of the Irish adults who quit smoking in 2023 did so with the help of vapes,with over 200,000 Irish adults having quit smoking with the help of vapes since 2015. Over 2022 and 2023, nearly 20,000 more people quit smoking with the help of vapesthan with the help of HSE-backed Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

Flavours are a key element in helping people quit smoking through vaping, with research pointing to ex-smokers being likely to return to smoking if flavoured vapes are banned. VBI is concerned that Ireland may make the mistakes made by other countries with an ill-informed rush to further regulation, which could have the unintended consequence of leading quitters back to smoking.

Any attempt to introduce restrictions on flavoured vapes in Ireland carries the significant risk of an explosion in black market activity, including an increase in attempts to import flavoured vapes via the postal system.

Find out more here: www.vapebusinessireland.ie