Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 1 March 2022
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health
General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. John Dunne:
The first thing that could be put in place very quickly would address the fact that there is no legislation in this country to restrict the products to those who are under the age of 18. Therefore, technically, a 12-year-old can legally buy vaping products in a shop. That is the first thing we need to look at.
Second, if you look closely at those data, you will find that only approximately 4.6% of young people use the product on a regular basis. The majority of those smoked previously. The national average is approximately 4%. That figure is therefore in line with the national average. Similar studies in the UK found that only 1.7% of young people regularly vape in the UK. The majority of those-----