VAPE SELLERS HAVE told an Oireachtas Committee that there are no “foolproof” age verification systems for online e-cigarettes websites. 

The Oireachtas Health Committee today heard submissions from three members of the Irish Vape Vendors Association (IVVA) as politicians continued scrutiny of the general scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill.

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.

A number of TDs at the committee expressed concern about rising rates of vaping among teenagers and cited the flavouring of e-cigarettes as a “seductive” reason why this may be the case.

Each of the three members of the IVVA are involved in a vaping business and argued that flavours should be retained as people seeking to give up smoking using e-cigarettes “want to move away from the flavour of tobacco”. 

Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall asked the IVVA about a number of vape flavours that she said would be “particularly attractive to under 18s”.  

Addressing the committee, Shortall named a number of the favours listed on their websites including “Dr Frost Lemonade Fizz”, “Apple Berry Crumble” and “Purple Slush”. 

“Surely there isn’t a demand for adults from those for those flavors, they very much sound like flavours that are designed to appeal to children,” she said. 

Shortall also said that some products are sold with “cartoon-like packaging” such as “Vampire vape”. 

In response, Joanna O’Connell of Vapourpal said their website “only stocks flavours that our adult customers request”. 

“They’re not attracted by the packaging, they are attracted by the flavour. That specific flavour that you’re speaking of that’s on our website is one of the most popular fruit flavoured e-liquids among adults,” she said. 

O’Connell agreed that the packaging was “cartoon-like” and added that they have “been onto the manufacturer regarding that”. 

Answering about the “Dr Frost Lemonade Fizz” product, Connolly said that he sells the product “because there’s a demand for it”

“I will accept that the packaging on that product to me should be should be better and should be more more more responsible,” he said. adding that he would like to “sit down with legislators” about how best to do that.  

Shortall also sought clarity from the IVVA on online age verification for buying e-cigarette products online. 

Declan Connolly of the IVVA. Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

Declan Connolly of ezSmoke.ie acknowledged that more work was needed on age verification. 

“I still don’t have a foolproof age verification system on the website, I’ll put my hands up and accept that,” he said. 

Alex Pescar of Ecricette also acknowledged in relation to age verification that “it’s not a perfect system”.

He claimed that it is possible to “double-check” and call up a person if he has suspicions a customer may be under 18.

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Pescar said this was “not a routine” and pushed by Shortall he said that this happened “a couple of times” last year. 

‘Unintended consequences’

The general use of e-cigarettes was also debated during the committee, with the IVVA members arguing that vaping “has an important role to play” in making Ireland tobacco free by giving smokers an alternative. 

“I would totally accept that vaping isn’t a panacea and that on it’s own it isn’t going to help us reach a tobacco-free Ireland,” Connolly said. 

But I do certainly believe that vaping has a very important role to play. Nothing is better than fresh air, no one would argue with that but we always need to be, and legislators need to be, very, very careful that anytime you’re bringing in legislation that’s going to affect vaping,  that you have to compare it with the much, much more deadly alternative product and is that is smoking. 

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD raised research from The Irish Heart Foundation which pointed to an increase in both vaping and smoking rates among teenagers and said that teenagers who vaped were 50% more likely to try smoking. 

“All I’m saying is that I fully accept and I think everyone here accepts that vaping has helped people to move away from cigarettes but we also need to make sure that there’s adequate regulation because there are downsides to e-cigarettes as well,” he said. 

Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane TD pointed to research by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health which suggested there was “moderate evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking for young people”.  

Fianna Fáil’s John Lahart said he was “open-minded” about the use of vaping as a way out for smokers, but he noted that British American Tobacco has started to produce vaping products in recent years “and their profits are soaring”.

“The association with the tobacco industry and these products doesn’t sit well with me,” he said.