I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I have huge concerns about vaping and have had for quite some time, particularly about the issue of vaping companies targeting young people as part of their marketing strategy. This is very compelling marketing strategy and it has been a successful strategy. Vape companies are using beautiful scents and smells and so on and presenting vapes as fun, almost like a toy. If children went into a vape shop, I am sure they would think that they were some beautiful sweets or toys. They are presented like bubblegum, candy, fruit or cocktails. The colours are always so bright, colourful and so appealing to young people. It is not accidental; it is a deliberate strategy. It is therefore not surprising that the numbers of people who are vaping today have never actually smoked a cigarette. A total of 76% of young vapers have never smoked a cigarette. It is not a step-down option for people in many instances. Indeed, it is a gateway into smoking and harder drugs. In 2019, of those among 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds, just 9% of that cohort used vapes. Last year, that was 23%. It is a significant rise. It is time that this House brought in legislation to target this. The market is worth over €200 million a year. I urge the Minister of State to ensure that we have legislation, that we bring in legislation that would limit vape flavours and that we would introduce a ban on point of sale advertising, similar to what was done with alcohol, in order that we try to protect young people in this regard. I also raised in this House a number of months ago the issue of HHC, a semi-synthetic cannabinoid, being sold in vape shops in vapes. I am glad the Government moved and prohibited this. It just shows the devastating impact that is happening to our young people. I know many young people across Mayo who bought HHC in a vape shop and suffered significantly as a result of this. We are behind the curve on this. We are behind other countries. It is time that we move to protect our young people. I would like to see a ban on the beautiful colours, the bubblegum and the smells. That marketing strategy must be counteracted. I am sure there are many people who smoke and are using vapes as a step down away from that. That is potentially a good thing and it can be positive. We must protect our young people and bring in legislation to prevent the sale and passing it out like sweets. More research also needs to go into the chemicals and the substances in vapes. It is a new technology. There is not enough research on the long-term health implications. I ask the Minister of State to look into this and work with the HSE to ensure that we have the full information in relation to the chemicals in vape products.

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