‘Ridiculous situation’ - Calls for crackdown on vape shops in Kilkenny

Kilkenny County Council supported a notice of motion calling on the Minister for Health and HSE to carry out spot checks on vape shops across Kilkenny and Ireland to ensure compliance with regulations and licensing laws at their monthly meeting on Monday.

The motion brought forward by Cllr Maurice Shorthall (Ind) outlines that the ‘purpose of these inspections would be to ensure that all vaping products being sold are legal, properly imported into the country’ and that the measures would ‘ensure that legitimate traders who are trying to make a living are not undermined by businesses selling illegal or non-compliant products’.

Cllr Shorthall recently raised concerns about ‘pre-rolled joints’ allegedly being sold to children at unspecified shops in Kilkenny and cited this as a need for stronger enforcement of existing regulations.

A new national licensing system for retailers selling tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products including vapes came into force across Ireland in February and all retailers must hold a licence issued by the HSE.

The local authority roundly supported Cllr Shorthall’s motion which he said was “important for us a Council to let people know what’s going on.”

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Cllr Andrew McGuinness (FF) also raised issues with the practice of some local vape shops, claiming that various flavours of American candy were advertised outside certain businesses which subsequently had “that same favour available as a vape” inside.

He went on to agree with allegations that illegal synthetic cannabinoid products were being sold under the table in some locations, and that “sometimes the synthetic drug is more concentrated” than the natural equivalent.

Cllr Seán Ó hArgáin (Lab), who has been campaigning to ban vaping in its entirety, agreed with the motion but said he “would go a lot further” in fighting what he called a “ridiculous situation.”

He raised the approach of Australia where sales of vapes are only permitted by pharmacies, with strict limits on nicotine content and variety of flavours.

Cllr Ó hArgáin compared this with the “situation in our filling stations” where “tobacco is locked away and vapes are in our faces.”

He called for increased action against vaping in Ireland, a sector which he called “the tobacco industry’s revenge” and that “we need bravery.”

The debate on the motion concluded with a scathing summary on the number of vape shops in Kilkenny with Cllr Ó hArgáin asserting that “thankfully almost half of vapes shops have closed, half as many as should have been.”

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Article funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme