As both a doctor and TD, I wish to be very clear about what we are dealing with here. This is not a minor trend. This is the early stage of a new addiction epidemic. In Ireland today, one in three students has tried vaping and one in six is a current user. Among the under-25s, 11% are regularly e-cigarettes users, which is the highest of any age group. Most worrying of all, the majority of young people who vape have never smoked previously. The idea that vaping is simply helping people quit smoking does not hold up in reality. For many young people, it is the starting point. We are also seeing an explosive growth in newer nicotine products. Nicotine pouch sales in Ireland increased almost five-fold in a single year from 6 million to 29 million units. That represents a 442% increase in revenue with one brand alone taking nearly half the market. These are not niche products. They are scaling rapidly, largely outside the regulatory framework that governs tobacco. I cannot stress enough that nicotine is not harmless. It raises heart rate and blood pressure. It disrupts brain development in adolescents, affecting concentration, learning and impulse control. It is linked to anxiety, sleep disturbance and long-term dependency. Vaping itself is not risk free. Emerging evidence shows clear associations with cardiovascular disease, chronic lung conditions and asthma. We are seeing measurable damage to blood vessels and inflammatory responses that we do not fully understand. People who both vape and smoke are at even greater risk, so while vaping may be less harmful than smoking, it is not safe, particularly not for young people. We also need to be honest about how we got here. This did not happen by accident. Products were deliberately designed to appeal to children, with bright colours, sweet flavours and packaging that mimic sweets, desserts and even toys. Research shows that young people recognises this themselves - that vaping products are more appealing than cigarettes because they look and feel like treats. When we add to that the lower cost, the easy concealment and the constant online promotion, it is no surprise that the uptake is rising. This legislation is a direct response to that reality. It will ban the sale of nicotine products to under-18s, remove advertising and the point-of-sale displays, restrict packaging and imagery, and limit flavours that are clearly designed to attract young users. It also addresses new and emerging products like nicotine pouches so that we are not constantly trying to play catch-up with the tobacco industry. That matters because one of the biggest mistakes in public health is allowing industry innovation to outpace regulation. We have seen that previously with tobacco and we know the consequences. In Ireland today, smoking still kills about 100 people every week and leads to more than 1,000 hospitalisations. Half of all long-term smokers will die from tobacco-related diseases. We have spent decades trying to reduce those numbers. We cannot allow a new pathway to nicotine addiction to undo that progress. This is not about banning everything; it is about protecting children from products designed to hook them. It is about ensuring that what looks harmless or appealing is not allowed to quietly cause long-term harm. It is about being proactive not reactive. I commend the Minister on that. From both a medical and public policy perspective, this legislation is necessary, proportionate and overdue. I support it fully.

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