Editorial: Is it time to scrutinise the vape shop issue in Kilkenny?

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Joe Malone makes a strong case for tougher enforcement to tackle the sale of vapes containing unknown or dangerous substances at certain outlets in Kilkenny.​

There seems to have been an extraordinary proliferation in shops selling these vapes throughout the city in recent months. Not all of them are problematic; some are legitimate shops that will only sell to those over the age of 18. However, there appears to be a small minority of shops less concerned about what they are selling and to whom.

Whatever about the wider debate on decriminalisation of substances such as natural cannabis, what is in some of the vapes in circulation is something different altogether. Often, it is not known by the consumer at all.

Despite a recent ban on semi-synthetic HHC, high-risk synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids are still being found in vape products sold in some shops. A recent study by the HSE Emerging Drug Trends Laboratory analysed dozens of vape and juice samples. Tests detected dangerous, potent synthetic cannabinoids alongside new compounds.

These substances are linked to severe mental health issues, psychosis and lung disease. There is particular concern about the effects on young people who are exposed to them.

CHANGING CITY

And, not to conflate two very different issues, but the shopfront signage on some of these new stores is garish, and clearly incongruous with their location along Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile and other small, historic streets. It’s a slap in the face for those long-standing locally-owned shops who make an effort with their own presentation.

A visit to the beautifully-restored Shee Alms House or 16th Century Rothe House provides, in close proximity, multiple occasions to purchase a candy-flavoured vape from a brightly-lit neon shop. There is certainly a changing dynamic in our cities, with also more phone-fix shops and nail bars, and fewer family-run local businesses.

We are sorry this week to see the loss of two more locally-owned businesses in Khan’s Books and John Joe Cullen’s Butchers as they prepare to shutter their doors forever. Nobody wants to see shops lying empty in the city centre, but perhaps we need to reflect on where we go from here.