Vaping companies came to Leinster House on Tuesday to defend e-cigarettes and vapes after research showed their use leads to increased tobacco smoking among children.
The session was part of the pre-legislative scrutiny that all Bills must go through in their journey through the Dáil and Seanad before they become law.
The debate is raging over whether the new technology is a safe substitution for cancer-causing cigarettes, or if they act as a gateway drug.
Research from the HRB (Health Research Board) shows that adolescents who had used an e-cigarette were between three and five times more likely to start smoking compared to those who never used e-cigarettes.
The vaping producers argue back that there are no dangerous carcinogenic toxins in vapes and that their products hep people give up the habit of smoking.
But the Government is taking no chances when it comes to children, with a Bill proposing a total ban on vapes for Under-18s making its way through the Oireachtas.
The proposed legislation will prohibit the sale of vapes and tobacco- and nicotine-inhaling products to persons under the age of 18.
“It will also make it illegal for under-18s to sell such products.
Oireachtas health committee chairman, Seán Crowe, said: “The Committee began pre-legislative scrutiny in November 2021 and we will hear from a number of stakeholders on the issue in the coming months.
“The Committee previously heard concerns from the Irish Heart Foundation that teen smoking rates are increasing for the first time in ten years due to an ‘explosion’ of vaping among this age cohort.
“Research from the Health Research Board has found that teenagers who vape are up to five times more likely to take up smoking citing the gateway effect.
“We welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other related matters with representatives.”
A spokesman for the Irish Vape Vendors Association, Declan Connolly, spoke at the committee hearing too.
He said: “smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland with almost 6,000 smokers dying each year from smoking related diseases.
“There is never a situation where it is better to smoke than it is to vape.
“Currently there are approximately 200,000 e-cigarette users in Ireland.
“The majority of these vapers have given up smoking completely.
“38% of those who made an attempt to quit smoking in Ireland in 2019 used e-cigarettes during this attempt.
“This should be encouraged.
“IVVA represent independent retailers of vaping products in Ireland.
“Members of IVVA are not owned, nor are under the control of Big Tobacco.”
