As the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 continues its passage through the Dáil today, Responsible Vaping Ireland (RVI), which represents more than 3,500 independent vape retailers nationwide, is warning that emerging loopholes in the proposed legislation must be urgently addressed to ensure the ban works in practice.
The group noted that when the Bill was first introduced in the Dáil on 12 December, a number of TDs raised concerns about enforcement and potential loopholes, including Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice and Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane, both of whom urged the Minister to ensure the legislation is robust.
Against that backdrop, RVI said manufacturers are already modifying disposable vapes in ways that undermine the intent of the Bill, by adding charging ports or nominal removable pods so that products can be marketed as “reusable”, while still being sold cheaply and treated by consumers as disposable items.
According to retailers, these devices are not genuinely reusable in real-world use. They are typically low-cost, poor-quality products that consumers discard after short periods, despite superficial design changes. The addition of charging ports to devices never intended for repeated use also raises concerns around product safety and battery integrity.
The group warned that Ireland risks repeating the experience of the UK, where a disposable vape ban introduced last June has led to a rapid increase in so-called “fake reusable” devices designed specifically to exploit loopholes in the law. This, it said, has complicated enforcement and weakened both environmental protections and efforts to restrict youth access.
Lorraine Carolan, spokesperson for Responsible Vaping Ireland, said:
“With the Bill now progressing through the Dáil, it’s critical that these issues are addressed before the legislation is finalised. We are already seeing disposable vapes being retrofitted with charging ports or token refill features purely to get around the proposed ban.”
“These products are still being treated as disposable by consumers, but now carry additional safety and enforcement risks. If the gaps aren’t closed, Ireland will face the same problems the UK is now dealing with - non-compliant products flooding the market and a ban that falls short of its objectives.”
RVI said a vape should only be considered reusable if it is genuinely designed for long-term use - meaning it must be both rechargeable and properly refillable, with refill components readily available and sold separately. Anything short of this, it warned, risks creating a grey market that benefits bad actors while disadvantaging compliant retailers.
With the Bill expected to pass Second Stage later today, retailers say it is vital that amendments are brought forward at Committee Stage to close these loopholes, ensure effective enforcement, and prevent the legislation being undermined in practice.
RVI reiterated its support for the Government’s aims of reducing youth access to vaping products and tackling environmental harm, while stressing that vaping remains an important harm-reduction tool for adult smokers seeking to quit.
“This is not about opposing a ban on disposable vapes,” Ms. Carolan said. “It’s about delivering legislation that actually works. Closing these loopholes now will protect young people, support enforcement and avoid mistakes that are already proving costly elsewhere.”
