Taoiseach Calls for Long-Term Elimination of Vapes
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland should work toward eliminating the use of vapes over time, as the Cabinet meets to consider the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025, proposed by Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The bill would ban the retail sale of single-use vapes six months after it becomes law.
Key Points
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Bill Content: Proposes a retail ban on disposable (single-use) vapes.
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Implementation: Six months after the Act takes effect.
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Additional Measures: Plans to regulate nicotine pouches under the same bill.
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Taoiseach’s View: Martin called vapes “the revenge of the tobacco industry,” criticizing youth targeting.
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Reference: Northern Ireland implemented a similar ban in June 2025 with penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment.
Cabinet to Discuss Vape Ban Legislation
November 19, 2025 — Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the country should focus on eliminating vape use over time, as the Cabinet prepares to discuss a new law banning single-use vapes, RTÉ reported.
Details of the Proposed Ban
The Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025, introduced by Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, seeks to prohibit the retail sale of disposable vapes, with the ban taking effect six months after the law’s commencement.
Advertising Restrictions and Government Rationale
Martin said the legislation also includes restrictions on advertising and other related measures. “When the smoking ban was introduced in 2004, vapes did not exist,” he said. “I often describe vapes as the revenge of the tobacco industry.”
Concerns Over Youth Targeting
He condemned the targeting of young people with nicotine products, saying such marketing “creates a captive market of addicted users.”
Expansion of Regulation to Other Nicotine Products
MacNeill is also expected to seek Cabinet approval to add regulatory provisions for other nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, to the broader Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill.
Comparison With Northern Ireland’s Ban
A similar law took effect in Northern Ireland in June 2025, making the sale or supply of single-use vapes a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in jail and fines. Retailers were given six months to sell remaining stock before enforcement began.
