A new licence fee for retailers that wish to sell vapes, which is coming into effect in Ireland next month, will help to crack down on illicit sales of vaping products, particularly to young people, BAT Ireland has said.
The tobacco firm was commenting on the new licensing system, which comes into effect on 2 February, and requires retailers to pay an annual fee of €800 to sell vapes and €1,000 to sell tobacco. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are excluded from the legislation.
'An Important Role'
“We have repeatedly called for the introduction of the retail licence system and believe it will play an important role in the enforcement of the under-18 vape sales ban and in preventing the sale of illegal vape products," commented David Melinn, country manager at BAT Ireland.
"However, we believe that the failure to include tobacco-free nicotine pouches was a misstep and one that can hopefully be addressed by the next government."
Annual Renewal
Shops that sell vaping products are required to join a register, and will be subject to inspections by the Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE), to ensure compliance with the legislation. Licences will be renewed annually, meaning that any retailer that has their licence revoked will lose the ability to sell vapes.
“The vast majority of retailers are responsible and are doing the right thing, but we have concerns about the unknown quantity of mobile phone accessory and laptop repair shops selling vapes," Melinn added. "We’re seeing a growing number of shops selling illegal vapes that are missing Irish health warnings and that contain dangerously high levels of nicotine.
"We hope the new system will help to remove these retailers, whose actions are hurting the many legitimate and responsible retailers across the country selling vapes."
Up until now, retailers that wanted to sell tobacco had to pay a once-off €50 fee, while there was no licence for selling vapes.
The new licencing system was passed via Statutory Instrument and is part of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023.
