Irish county bans vaping in various outdoor public places

Wexford County Council (South East Ireland) has banned vaping in playgrounds, parks, beaches and areas designated for children and young people. The move is aimed at countering a worrying increase in the use of vaping products by secondary school pupils in the county.[1].

The County Council for Young People (Wexford Comhairle na nÓg) presented a report to Wexford County Council entitled ‘Young People’s Perspectives on Vaping’. The report was based on a survey of over 1,700 secondary school pupils in the area. It revealed worrying trends in vaping use among young and very young people. The report also makes a series of recommendations to address this public health issue.

In Ireland, Youth Councils are located in 31 localities across the country and provide opportunities for young Irish people to participate in the development of local services and policies.

A response to the growing consumption of vaping products among young people

According to the report, 86% of respondents knew someone their age who vaped and 91% agreed that vaping is common among young people. One in four young people surveyed said they had used a vaping device.

According to more than 88% of the people interviewed in the survey, colors and flavors make vaping products attractive to them. Among the young people interviewed, school is notably the place of discovery and initiation for these products. Thus, it appears indisputable that a form of peer pressure is exerted at school and plays a role in the trivialization of these products.

To counter this scourge, the Wexford Comhairle na nÓg encourages the denormalisation of vaping in everyday life and calls on County Wexford to put in place a set of strong measures.

To do this, the county has developed the initiative " Not around us » (Not Around Us), aimed at discouraging smoking and vaping in all outdoor spaces frequented by children and young people. Wexford County Council is committed to including all playgrounds, parks, beaches and spaces designed for children and young people in the initial phase of the campaign. Not Around Us is another step towards a Wexford free of tobacco and associated products.

A set of recommendations to better regulate vaping devices

While 75% of young people surveyed acknowledge that vaping products can add to the litter problem, many wrongly believe that they can be thrown in household bins. In reality, all types of e-cigarettes must be recycled through an electronic recycling centre.

The authors of the report say the survey also highlights the severe lack of information about the ingredients in e-liquids. 55% of young people surveyed were completely unaware of the composition of e-liquids.

The youth council is calling on local authorities to work with schools to raise awareness of all these issues through workshops and the provision of educational resources.

Comhairle na nÓg finally made a series of recommendations which should be taken into account when developing national legislation:

• Vaping product packaging must be less attractive and include clear health warnings, in addition to the nicotine warnings already in place;
• Reducing the appeal of vaping to young people involves reducing the number of flavours available;
• The same advertising ban rules that apply to traditional tobacco cigarettes should apply to e-cigarettes and vaping products;
• Finally, a total ban on disposable vaping devices should be adopted.

Keywords: Ireland, vaping, youth, Wexford, smoke-free spaces, marketing, flavours, local policies

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[1] David Looby, Wexford youth group highlights 'exceptionally worrying' trend in vaping culture, The Independent, published July 12, 2023, accessed July 18, 2023