Vapes Flavour Ban Risks Ex-Smokers in Louth & Meath Returning to Cigarettes - 06/02/2026

New research warns that the Government’s proposed restrictions on vape flavours could drive almost 60,000 former smokers back to cigarettes, undoing years of progress in reducing Ireland’s smoking rate.A county-by-county analysis shows that 58,080 adult vapers nationwide would return to smoking if the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill proceeds with a ban on all vape flavours except tobacco. The findings raise serious concerns about the public-health consequences of the proposed legislation, particularly the risk of ex-smokers returning to cigarettes, which remain the leading cause of 6,000 preventable deaths in Ireland every year.Ken Heffernan, spokesperson for Respect Vapers and former smoker, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.