The Public Health (Single Use Vapes) Bill 2025 will prohibit the retail sale of single use or disposable vapes.

New measures will also be added to the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill, which proposes to regulate the appearance, packaging, flavours and display of nicotine inhaling products.

The government will seek to include provisions prohibiting the sale to minors of nicotine products such as pouches. That law will also prohibit the advertising of these products in all retail outlets and their display in mixed retail outlets.

The law will be designed to apply to any recreational nicotine products that may become available in future as well as those already on the market, ensuring stable baseline regulation that will remain effective even as the market evolves.

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “My priority is the protection of our children. The measures approved today will reduce the attractiveness and availability of current and future nicotine containing products for our young people.

“Taken together, these laws form a suite of measures to shield our children from the promotion and sale of these products and to allow them to grow up free from the risk of developing a nicotine addiction.

“Working with my colleague, Minister Murnane O’Connor, we will continue to develop plans to do whatever is necessary to accelerate our progress toward ending smoking here.”

Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, minister of state with responsibility for public health, wellbeing and the national drugs strategy, added: “I welcome government approval for these important public health measures. They are a big step forward in protecting our children and young people from the harms of nicotine.

“I also want to commend the minister for health for planning ahead with strong, future-proofed rules for other nicotine products such as pouches.

“This is an ever-changing environment, and it is vital that we are ahead of the market when it comes to protecting our young people and safeguarding the health of future generations.

“I look forward to working with Minister Carroll MacNeill to implementing these measures as quickly as possible.”