Vapes should be available under the counter at pharmacies by prescription only, a campaigning senator said, reports The Mirror.
Senator Malcolm Byrne of Fianna Fáil has backed the Irish Mirror’s campaign against child vaping, calling for a major restriction on the sale of the products.
Last week, the Irish Mirror launched a special investigation that revealed the dangers of the unregulated market for vaping products.
They showed that children as young as 10 are using these products, that 14-year-olds can easily buy them on the high street and, perhaps most shockingly, that increasing numbers of children are being admitted to hospital after vaping.
After launching our campaign last week, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly introduced legislation to completely ban vaping for all ages from next year.
Meanwhile, his party colleague, Senator Byrne, wants pharmacies to keep over-the-counter products out of the reach of children.
Mr Byrne said: “There is now overwhelming evidence as to the dangers that vaping products cause to young people. These are tobacco products that are being targeted at the young. Not alone do we need to ban the sale of vapes to under 18s, we need to ban flavoured vapes and place the products in plain packaging,” reports The Mirror.
Senator Byrne continued: “The legislation coming forward needs to take on the tobacco industry and to put public health first, or else we will see a generation of people addicted to vapes. It is HSE policy to recommend against using vapes so why are we not taking tougher action?” reports The Mirror.
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