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Retailers will face fines of up to €5,000 or even 12 months in prison if they sell vapes to underage teens, as part of a crackdown on e-cigarettes.
The Cabinet today signed off on new laws to ban the sale of vapes to under-18s, which will mean strict new rules for retailers.
Drugs Minister Hildegarde Naughton said shops will now need a licence to sell vapes.
Retailers caught selling vapes to underage teens will face fines of up to €4,000 or up to six months in prison.
For subsequent offences, a fine of up to €5,000 can be enforced or up to 12 months in prison
"These will be enforceable by the Environmental Health Service and they are going to have more powers in relation to the rolling out of these laws to ensure that there is compliance in relation to the advertising of vapes as well," she said.
Vapes will no longer be sold in vending machines and they will not be allowed to be advertised near schools and on public transport.
These laws are expected to be in place by mid July, before the Dáil rises for summer recess.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said vaping can lead to serious impairments for children.
However, he said the same evidence is not there for adults.
"Vaping for children and vaping for teenagers can impair cognitive development. That's pretty serious stuff," he said.
"There isn't the same evidence though in terms of vaping as bad for adults as cigarettes because there isn't tobacco in it, there's nicotine, nicotine is addictive.
"These products are really very new and there will be an evidence built up over time."
The Government has previously indicated that it wants to ban disposable vapes, which have several hundred puffs and can be thrown away afterwards.
Minister Donnelly did not give a timeline as to when the ban would actually be put in place.
"There's a corresponding issue that the nicotine levels in them can be really very high," he said.
"Minister Naughton and I will have ongoing engagement with Ossian on that."