NEW BILL CALLS FOR SAME BANS ON E-CIGS AS TOBACCO PRODUCTS
A new bill has been published proposing to regulate e-cigarettes.
Senators Averil Power and John Crown want to see a ban on the sale of the products to under-18s, an end to advertising and the consumption of e-cigarettes in public places and places of work.
It will also include the prohibition of sponsorship by manufacturers and importers of electronic-cigarettes and the use of them in vehicles where persons under 18 years of age are present.
The bill also provides for standardised packaging of e-cigarettes and the fitting of child safety caps on liquid nicotine bottles.
It would require the Health Service Executive (HSE) to monitor available scientific data “to determine what the extent of these risks are, and where these risks are established, empower the minister to draw up regulations to ensure the well-being of users”, Senator Crown said.
Critics of the proposal say it is heavy-handed – considering many people use e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
But Senator John Crown, who is an oncologist, says they are far from harmless.
“These are not harmless products – the idea that we are somehow trying to regulate the sale of something which is harmless is not true” he said.
“They are harmful – there are gradations in harm”.
“We have set the bar to a different level because of the extraordinary level of harm which burn tobacco causes”.
“If these products were discovered tomorrow and we had never discovered burn tobacco, it is likely that they would never be accepted” he added.
