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Fruit flavours help three out of four adult vapers stay smoke-free.
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Half of vapers say they will buy flavoured vapes online or abroad.
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Adult vapers ask Government not to ban the top flavours.
12 November 2025: A new *Red C poll has found that the Government’s proposed ban on flavoured vapes will drive many ex-smokers back to cigarettes and fuel a black market for flavoured vape products.
According to the Red C survey of adult vapers:
- 33% of ex-smokers said they would return to cigarettes if flavours were banned.
- 73% said fruit flavours play a key role in helping them stay off cigarettes.
- 49% would source flavoured vapes online or from abroad if ban were introduced.
- 72% believe a ban would lead to more young people taking up smoking.
- 71% believe banning flavours would push vapers back to smoking.
The majority (70%) of adult vapers surveyed were former smokers, over half of whom had smoked for more than ten years. Nine in ten (90%) said vaping helped them quit smoking, and eight in ten (79%) found flavoured vapes more effective than nicotine patches or gum.
As most adult vapers use fruit or menthol flavours, they believe these should remain available. Support for a full flavour ban is extremely low, with just 7% of respondents in favour. Many agreed that flavours appealing to youth, such as candy or soft drink flavours, could be restricted.
Considering these findings, the advocacy group Respect Vapers is urging the Minister for Health not to include flavours that are essential to adult vapers in the legislation.
Ken Heffernan, former smoker and a representative of Respect Vapers said it makes no sense for the Minister to introduce this law and then review it later.
“Government must look at the data and listen to people. Smoking kills 6,000 people in Ireland every year. Vaping is helping up to 320,000 smokers quit. A flavour ban would be a gift to Big Tobacco and criminal gangs, not a victory for public health.”
*International evidence shows that flavour bans do not reduce youth vaping but instead expand unregulated black markets, where unsafe products are sold without oversight.
For example, Australia has a substantial black-market, with over 200 arson incidents related to criminal activity in the vape market.
Mr Tom Gleeson, New Nicotine Alliance Ireland (NNAI) said: “We can expect such measures to prompt adverse behavioural responses among both youth and adults, which will protect the cigarette trade, promote black market, informal trade, and encourage risky workarounds to a flavour ban. This will weaken Ireland’s response to the public health burden of smoking. which remains the greatest threat to the health of users.”
Ken Heffernan said that flavours are essential for helping adults switch from smoking to vaping, a far less harmful alternative. Adults use mint and fruit flavours. Removing them punishes adults who made the responsible choice to quit smoking. It does not protect young people,”
In Ireland, the illicit vape trade is already valued at €220 million. A flavour ban will hand organised crime groups a lucrative opportunity to grow their business even further.
Respect Vapers and the New Nicotine Alliance Ireland (NNAI) are calling on the Government to pursue evidence-based regulation, including strict age verification, enforcement against underage sales, and responsible marketing—rather than a blanket ban that removes safer alternatives for adults.
ENDS
Notes:
* RED C conducted an on-street face-to-face survey of n=205 people that regularly use vaping products (at least once a week or more often) in the city centres of Dublin, Cork and Galway over the period of the 8th and 22nd September 2025. The survey covers questions on their vaping behaviour, their use of vaping flavours and their views on how they and others may react to an outright ban on flavoured vapes. [INSERT LINK]
**International experience
Australia faces a substantial black-market, with nicotine products being the second-largest illegal substance category after cannabis. There have been over 200 arson incidents related to criminal activity in the vape market, and authorities estimate only a fraction of illegal imports are intercepted.
In Estonia, despite the ban, 60% of vapers purchase flavours from unregulated sources, raising concerns about product safety.
In Denmark, illegal products now constitute 75% of the vape market. Youth vaping has doubled since the ban, and smoking rates among 15–29-year-olds increased from 23% to 25% in the past year.
In the Netherlands, 10% of vapers reverted to smoking, and a majority buy flavours illicitly, often with higher nicotine content and associated health risks.
