FINE Gael councillor Olivia O’Sullivan has called on Limerick Council to take action on vape shops using child-targeted signage, along with a full ban on vaping in public spaces.
Cllr O’Sullivan proposed that the local authority writes to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill requesting a national ban on vaping indoors and public places, workplaces, and public transport.
The City North representative said at the May monthly Metropolitan district meeting that she has already been liaising with the Minister’s office in relation to two vaping bills currently underway.
“This is obviously going to serve a huge purpose when it comes to the litter that we see in terms of vapes, because only six per cent of used vapes get recycled at the moment, which is crazy when you think about it. Over 20 million vapes last year were not recycled, which is an incredible figure,” Cllr O’Sullivan told Council members.
“I have one story of a six-year-old that found a discarded vape, and obviously these are branded now in very playful looking, sweet candy colours and packaging. A six-year-old found one and got the taste because it was fruit-flavoured. That child then could recognise it again when he saw it, and thought of it as something that he wanted – something sweet flavoured that was a good thing.”
Supporting Cllr O’Sullivan’s motion, Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley took the view that it might be another decade before we realise the actual damage that vaping does.
“I think it would actually be worse than nicotine, because we don’t actually know what’s in them. I’m not a fan at all of it, and seeing younger people vaping in community centres, they’re taking out vapes, and it’s very difficult to tell them to put it away,” she admitted.
Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely also added her support, saying: “It’s great to hear that there’s such a positive engagement with Minister MacNeill’s office, because sometimes we can be kind of critical of Government departments when they don’t engage our organisation.”
“We’re seeing a lot of people coming with addiction to vapes. Cigarettes are far more expensive and vapes are very easily available, and they’re way cheaper, and you don’t actually realise how much nicotine you’re getting into your system. They vary so much, they’re not regulated, and there’s all kinds of chemicals in there as well.”
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme