Senator calls for vapes to be made available by prescription only

There have been similar calls made in the UK and New Zealand.

Fianna Fail senator Malcolm Byrne has put forward the idea that vapes should only be available in a pharmacy via a prescription, the Irish Mirror has reported. Over the past couple of years there have been multiple calls to ban disposable vapes completely, and a legislation banning the sale of vapes to those under 18 was passed in May of this year. Meanwhile, festivals like Electric Picnic made the decision to ban single use vapes from their event spaces and campsites this summer, due to their "hazardous" impact on the environment. [caption id="attachment_160626" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image via Getty [/caption] An investigation by the Mirror indicated that children as young as 10 have tried vaping, that 14 year olds can easily buy vapes and that an "increasing number" of young people have been hospitalised as a result of vaping. Speaking about the negative impact of vaping on young people and how readily available they are to purchase, senator Byrne said: “Not alone do we need to ban the sale of vapes to under 18s, we need to ban flavoured vapes and place the products in plain packaging. "The legislation coming forward needs to take on the tobacco industry and to put public health first, or else we will see a generation of people addicted to vapes. "It is HSE policy to recommend against using vapes, so why are we not taking tougher action?" [caption id="attachment_160627" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Via Getty [/caption] Meanwhile, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has vowed to “come down very hard” on vaping by banning disposable vapes completely, imposing restrictions on flavoured products and packaging and imposing point of sale restrictions. While vaping is considered to be less harmful than smoking, it's still by no means safe - as documented by Harvard Health, the nicotine content in vapes can affect the developing brain, potentially harming teens and young adults, and some substances found in e-cigarette vapor have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Besides nicotine, vapes contain harmful substances such as volatile organic compounds, ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs and flavourings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease. So far, the long term effect of vaping on public health is unknown. Header image via Getty  READ NEXT:  - Dublin Airport opens 'first of its kind' AI operated shop - There's a Barbenheimer Halloween party happening in Dublin this month - 4 openers to be aware of in Dublin right now