Prof Des Cox, chair of the RCPI Policy Group on Tobacco thinks the age limit for buying tobacco products should be raised, reports the Irish Times.

Mr Cox was speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee about the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill and said that all tobacco and nicotine inhaled products should not be sold to under 21s. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said that flavoured vapes should be banned altogether and that the advertising restrictions that apply to tobacco should also be extended to vaping products, reports the Irish Times.
Mr Cox told the Committee that he did not think vaping was a useful smoking cessation tool and mentioned that the real harm of these products is still unknown.
“Studies also show that nicotine inhaled products are a gateway to tobacco smoking. Adolescents who ever used nicotine inhaled products are between three and five times more likely to start smoking compared with adolescents who have never used nicotine inhaled products,” he said.
On the other hand, John Dunne of the Vape Business Ireland (VBI) said that e-cigarettes were the best alternative to quit smoking saying that banning flavours may lead to people returning to cigarettes. According to the Irish Times, Dunne said that his organisation is in favour of a legal ban on under 18s buying vaping products but that he does not support the ban on flavours, advertising or plain packaging.