England and Ireland implement new nicotine and vaping restrictions

Governments in England and Ireland are implementing new measures to curb nicotine use among young people through stricter retail controls and increased taxation.

In England, government analysis suggests that hiding vaping products from shop displays could prevent approximately 38,000 children from experimenting with e-cigarettes. The proposed measures also include plain packaging, standardized device designs, and tighter restrictions on flavor descriptions to reduce youth appeal. This follows reports from the teachers' union NASUWT indicating that 13% of surveyed teachers observed pupils using nicotine pouches during school hours.

In Ireland, new budget measures have increased cigarette taxation, pushing the price of a pack above €20. Additionally, the tax on e-liquids is scheduled to rise from €0.50/ml to €0.70/ml on January 1, 2027. Irish officials justified the e-liquid tax increase to the European Union by citing concerns over the gateway effect of vaping on young people, despite some scientific debate regarding whether e-cigarettes serve as a smoking cessation tool or a driver for nicotine initiation.