More than 22% of vape shops inspected in Ireland were found selling vaping products to under-18s despite a legal ban in place since December 2023, according to figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE). Between January and October last year, 51 out of 224 retailers failed test-purchase checks conducted by inspectors, up from 40 violations recorded in 2024.
The HSE’s National Environmental Health Service, which gained test-purchasing powers in March 2024, carried out hundreds of inspections to enforce the law. Retailers caught selling vapes to minors face fines of up to €4,000 and up to six months in prison. Authorities also issued dozens of prohibition orders against shops selling unregulated products.
The data emerged in response to a parliamentary question, as Ireland considers further tightening vape laws. A proposed bill would ban disposable vapes, restrict flavors, and limit packaging colors and imagery to reduce youth appeal and environmental harm. Lawmakers are calling for even tougher measures, arguing that flavored and brightly packaged vapes continue to target young people despite existing restrictions.
Tag: Ireland
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Over a Fifth of Irish Vape Shops Caught Selling to Minors
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Irish Retailers Lose Fight Against ‘Irrational’ License Fees
A retailers’ group failed in a High Court challenge against Ireland’s new licensing fees of up to €1,800 for selling tobacco and nicotine products. Justice Rory Mulcahy ruled that the former health minister acted lawfully in setting the fees under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023, finding the charges were justified on public health grounds and not arbitrary.
The new regime, effective from February, replaces a one-off €50 registration fee with renewable annual fees of €1,800 for tobacco and nicotine products, €1,000 for tobacco only, or €800 for nicotine products only. The court rejected claims that the fees were irrational or disproportionately harmful to small retailers, noting that discouraging tobacco sales would not make the regulations unlawful.
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Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban
Ireland’s Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will today (December 17) begin the passage of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 through the Oireachtas. The Bill, introduced at Second Stage in Dáil Éireann, proposes a ban on the sale of single-use vapes. The measure aims to reduce smoking and vaping rates and to prevent children and young people from starting to use nicotine.
The Government has highlighted the rapid growth of single-use vapes in Ireland, rising youth vaping rates, and concerns that their low cost, ease of use, and appealing designs target young people. The legislation also addresses environmental impacts, citing the waste and damage caused by disposable vaping products. O’Connor described the legislation as a preventative step to curb nicotine addiction among young people and prevent long-term dependence.
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Ireland Considering Disposable Vape Ban, Wider Nicotine Controls
The Irish Government is considering new legislation that would ban the retail sale of single-use or disposable vapes, amid growing concerns over youth uptake and the rapid evolution of nicotine products. According to The Journal, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is seeking Cabinet approval for the publication of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025, which would outlaw the products six months after becoming law.
In addition to the vape ban, MacNeill is pushing for broader regulation of nicotine products through amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. The changes would extend oversight to nicotine pouches, which are currently outside existing tobacco and vaping legislation.
Public health advocates, including the Irish Cancer Society, have criticized the government for being slow to regulate new nicotine products. In August, the Society warned that the lack of oversight risked exposing young people to addictive substances.
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Irish Tobacco Hike ‘Plucked Out of the Air,’ Court Told
The Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA) has challenged new tobacco licensing fees in Ireland, claiming they are “plucked out of the air” and disproportionately impact smaller retailers. The 2024 regulations, introduced under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 by former health minister Stephen Donnelly, raise fees from the old €50 one-off registration to €1,800 for combined tobacco and nicotine products, payable on every renewal. Retailers cannot pass the cost to consumers.
CSNA argued the fees are arbitrary, lack evidential basis, and exceed the minister’s powers, while the government contends the fees are part of a long-standing policy to reduce tobacco availability. In court, CSNA sought to cross-examine Claire Gordon, Department of Health principal officer, over her affidavit explaining the policy, but Justice Rory Mulcahy rejected the request, noting the retailers can challenge her evidence but cannot investigate beyond it.
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Ireland to Introduce Europe’s Highest Vape Tax
Beginning November 1, the Irish government will impose a new €0.50 per milliliter tax on all vaping e-liquids—regardless of nicotine content—making it the highest vape tax in the European Union. The measure comes alongside planned restrictions on flavors, packaging, advertising, and disposable vapes. Officials say the tax aims to curb youth vaping and strengthen prevention efforts following Ireland’s 2023 ban on vape sales to minors. However, public health and harm reduction advocates argue the policy will backfire, driving consumers toward the black market and undermining Ireland’s stalled “Tobacco Free Ireland” goal of reducing smoking to below 5% by 2025.
Advocates from the New Nicotine Alliance Ireland (NNAI) warn the new tax will make quitting smoking harder for low-income groups, with prices for a typical 10ml e-liquid expected to triple from €3 to €9. They argue vaping has been a key tool in helping smokers quit—38% of quitters in Ireland reportedly used vapes—yet misinformation and punitive taxes have reversed progress. Addiction specialist Dr. Garrett McGovern criticized the policy for equating vaping’s risks with those of smoking, calling it “a dreadful public health policy.” Research shows that vape restrictions and higher costs often lead to increased smoking rates, a trend advocates fear could repeat in Ireland if affordability and access continue to shrink.
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Ireland Increases Cigarette Prices
Cigarette prices in Ireland will increase under Budget 2026, confirmed Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.
A packet of cigarettes will increase in price by 50 cents, bringing the price of the most popular category to €18.95 ($21.95), among the most costly in the EU.
The increase went into effect midnight October 8.
The duty charged on other tobacco products will also see a pro-rate increase, according to the Irish Mirror. A new tax on vape liquid announced in last year’s budget will go into effect November 1, 2025. The tax will be applied at a flat rate of 50 center per milliliter of e-liquid. This includes refillable liquid and disposable vapes.
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Ireland to Ban Tobacco and Vape Vending Machine Sales
Beginning today (September 29), Ireland will ban the sale of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products from self-service and vending machines under new rules contained in the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the measure will cut off a source of easy access for minors, calling it “another significant milestone” in the government’s tobacco control policy and Tobacco Endgame strategy.
Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor stressed that the legislation aims squarely to protect children. “We are cutting off an avenue of easy access that has been shown to contribute to early experimentation and long-term addiction,” she said, adding that prevention is central to building a healthier Ireland. The Health Service Executive confirmed that Environmental Health Officers will conduct nationwide inspections to monitor compliance.
The measure aligns Ireland with two-thirds of Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which recommends banning vending machine sales as a form of advertising and promotion.
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Ireland’s Crackdown on Vape Sales to Minors Sees Few Consequences
Nearly 15% of retailers across Ireland have been caught violating laws banning the sale of vapes to children, with only a fraction facing legal consequences, according to new figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE). Enacted in December 2023, the law makes it illegal to sell nicotine-inhaling products to those under 18 years old. Since then, the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service has carried out 699 test-purchase inspections and found 102 to be non-compliant.
Of the 52 cases of non-compliance recorded in 2024, just 19 resulted in court proceedings to date. Only 12 led to convictions and fines, while six were resolved under the Probation Act, and one was dismissed.
Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly said the low number of prosecutions undermines the law’s credibility: “A law is only as strong as its enforceability. We have to make sure retailers are complying.”
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BAT Warns Ireland Could Become Smuggling Hotspot
British American Tobacco urged the Irish government to fast-track enforcement measures alongside the delayed excise tax on vaping products, warning that weak oversight could further fuel the country’s growing illicit vape market. David Melinn, BAT Ireland’s country manager, said the Health Service Executive’s plan for just 40 annual inspections is “not sufficient” given the scale of the market. Citing a KPMG report, BAT claims illicit vapes now make up 34–45% of Ireland’s €550 million vape market.
The industry is pushing for a tax stamp regime to help curb black market activity. Without it, BAT warns, Ireland risks becoming an even more attractive hub for criminal smuggling—especially as a vape flavor ban also looms. BAT says strong enforcement is critical to protect public health and ensure legal market stability.