Ireland's Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced a ban on the sale of vapes to under-18s with immediate effect. 

The new law came into effect on Friday, December 22, and makes it an offense to sell nicotine-inhaling products such as e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18. 

Anyone in breach of the new law could serve up to six months in prison or face a fine of up to €4,000. 

The Government will also introduce other measures in the new year, including a ban on the advertisement of nicotine-inhaling products near schools and on public transport, a stricter licensing system for the sale of the products, and regulation in relation to vending.

The Government will also consider further measures next year, including the regulation of the flavor and packaging of vapes. 

Donnelly said in a statement that he had aimed to sign Section 28 of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act into law before Christmas to help protect children's health. 

"I committed to bringing this ban on the sale of vaping products to under-18s into law before Christmas and I am pleased that I have been able to do that by signing the commencement order.

"I thank colleagues in both Houses of the Oireachtas who understood the urgency for our children and who supported me to get this law enacted quickly," Donnelly said in a statement on Thursday. 

"In 2024 I will commence the remaining measures in the Act (such as around advertising, a licensing system and vending machines) and we will examine the results of our public consultation on the further regulation of e-cigarettes and on some innovative proposals in tobacco control."

Hildegarde Naughton, the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, described the new law as a "good beginning."

"I look forward to the results of our public consultation on the options for the further regulation of nicotine-inhaling products, particularly around flavorings and packaging," Naughton said in a statement.

"The protection of children is at the center of our national tobacco control policy, Tobacco Free Ireland, and I welcome this major step forward in that direction."