36|Retail News|January / February 2020|www.retailnews.ie
Vaping
Vape Crusaders
Vaping is big business in Ireland, with 5% of the population using e-cigarettes, up 25% on the previous year.
IT is estimated that 5% of the Irish population use e-cigarettes, an increase from 4% in 2018, according to the Healthy Ireland Survey 2019, funded by the Department of Health. 38% of those who made an attempt to quit smoking over the previous year used an e-cigarette during this attempt, and use of e-cigarettes among ex-smokers rose by 30% over the year. Indeed, use of e-cigarettes among ex-smokers increased to 13% in 2019, up from 10% in 2018. Use of e-cigarettes among nonsmokers remains extremely low, at just 1%, which was the same in 2018. The Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society recently called for a ban on e-cigarette flavours, claiming that certain flavours are aimed at under-18s. However, Vape Business Ireland (VBI) responded by arguing that flavours play an important role for adult smokers looking for a less harmful alternative product. The intention of flavours is to give consumers product choice, and it is not intended for use by those under 18, a VBI statement maintained, arguing that there is no evidence to support the
assertion that vaping is “normalising smoking” or that it is a gateway to smoking. “99% of those who vape in Ireland are adult ex-smokers according to the 2019 Healthy Ireland Survey, released by the Department of Health in November,” the statement continued. Indeed, VBI has continually called on the Minister for Health and the Department of Health to bring forward legislation to prohibit sale by, and to, those under the age of 18. VBI spokesperson Joe Dunne said, “There is no reason why the Minister continues the delay in dealing with this issue. Vape Business Ireland has long campaigned for the legislation what would prohibit the sale by, and to, those under the age of 18. Due to the inaction by the Minister and in the absence of legislative measures to prevent the sale of vaping products to under 18s, VBI developed a Code of Conduct on this matter, which has been signed by all members, to ensure that if in doubt of a customer’s age, the retailer/seller is encouraged to ask for identification. The Code of Conduct covers in-store sales,
online sales, as well as the marketing of vaping products.” It is the view of VBI that vaping products are a product of choice for adults and should never be sold to those under 18. Therefore, marketing and advertising of vaping products should be socially responsible and directed only at adults. Martin Dockrell, from Public Health England, the UK state agency under the auspices of the Department of Health and Social Care has said, “Banning flavours would likely provoke vapers to relapse back to smoking, leading to more adult smoking role models for young people, which we know is the key driver in young people starting to smoke.” Vaping was in the news for the wrong reasons during the past year, when an outbreak of lung-disease in the US hit the headlines. However, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified Vitamin E acetate as the ‘very strong culprit’ for the outbreak of lung-disease. This suggests that the outbreak was
