I too welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. At its core, I believe the Bill is about something we can all agree on. It is protecting public health. From speaking to my constituents and knowing someone who has vaped, nicotine is addictive. It is very addictive and I do not think anyone should be able to walk into a shop when they are paying their bills and see a giant green package that says "double apple", "triple mango" or "Red Bull". It is just attracting children. That packaging was deliberately designed by a graphic designer to be as attractive as possible. The entire vape itself, the way it sits in your hand, was done that way. I do have questions. To seek clarification, is it specifically just tobacco, or will menthol be allowed as well? No menthol. A lot of constituents raised that with me. There are adults who would like to have the option of menthol. I do agree that we should not be able to get a super sweet cherry cola vape but there are smokers who smoke menthol cigarettes who have told me that if they cannot get menthol flavour, they will go back to smoking menthol cigarettes. I know you cannot get the filters but you could easily go abroad and get some of the flavours. We have seen a rise in vaping, particularly in young people, and that is completely wrong. We need to get rid of the bright packaging, the sweet flavours and the aggressive marketing. This industry, the tobacco industry, is not one that has just been born. It is well established and it knows how to get around legislation, just like the ever-evolving head shop debacle we had, where they could change molecules or make a single change in the chain of it to get ahead of legislation. I too have heard other Deputies ask whether they would be able to bring out non-nicotine vapes. How would that be brought in by the legislation? The concern is valid and parents are finding children as young as ten or 11 with vapes in their schoolbags. They are contacting me and pushing for this so I do think there should be a much harsher penalty for anyone found selling to anyone under the 18. It is important we are honest about the debate because as adults, people who, as I mentioned, cannot get menthol-flavoured tips in Ireland can go to the UK and get menthol-flavoured tips and bring them back. In the same sense, if someone wants to get a flavour of menthol vape, they can or will find ways around it. Again, the bright double cherry or energy blast flavours are designed for children. Menthol and tobacco flavour could be used as a crutch for adults. It is also important, at the same time, to listen to all of the adults who contacted my office. They are real people and they are not trying to start a new habit; they are continuously maintaining and ending one. Many of them are worried and have told me that if this is brought in, they will go and get menthol flavour for themselves or worse, go back towards smoking. I welcome all the work that has gone into this Bill. I want to raise those concerns, particularly from my constituents. When it happens, the control the HSE would hope to maintain is through the licensed retailers, if we were to bring in strict regulations on menthol and tobacco, but I understand that if you bring in menthol, then you might be bringing in menthol-flavoured apple and there is a loophole there. I understand there are ways around it. We need to work together to protect young people in particular, and that is the main point of the Bill that I support. There is an idea among young people that vaping has no harm, when we can see complete studies of popcorn lung, multiple studies of people with lungs or half lungs collapsed developing at a young age, with vapes being found in their baggage at the age of 11. I will support the Bill and if we get the balance right, we will improve public health but if we get it wrong, we need to look at clear examples of other countries where a black market opened and people were able to get it from other sides. I welcome this, I will engage constructively on it and I fully support its intent.

Sentiment score: 0.17