Health Minister Simon Harris has said that he intends to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s and introduce advertising restrictions, reports the Irish Mirror.

The statement comes after new research conducted by IPSOS MRBI found that third and fourth year students believe that they are being targeted specifically by e-cigarette makers and that sweet flavours were not designed with adults in mind, according to the Irish Mirror.
Harris said, “We’ve heard very, very clearly the voices of young people through this research, that the flavours being used, the advertising being used are clearly trying to do one thing, to hook a new generation of Irish people in relation to addiction.”
The study was co-sponsored by The Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society, who are now both calling for a ban on flavours.
Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, said: “It is crystal clear that long-term smokers represent just a small part of the target market of the big e-cigarette brands. The bigger objective – and the bigger profits – lie in causing children and young people who have never smoked to become addicted to nicotine.”