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COULD RESTAURANTS IN Ireland end up banning electronic cigarettes?
Currently, e-cigarettes are not illegal, but there is the possibility that individual restaurants might decide themselves if they want people smoking the devices on their premises.
It was announced earlier this year that the sale of e-cigarettes to people aged under 18 would be made illegal.
This was followed by a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes on the DART and Irish Rail trains.
The Department of Health said in January that it hopes to regulate e-cigarettes this year.
TheJournal.ie spoke to people on both sides of the debate to find out what the issues at stake are.
The restaurateurs
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said that the Department of Health “needs to move towards implementing, in our view, legislation to restrict e-cigarettes in restaurants”.
He said this was based on customer feedback.
“We are leaving it up to each restaurant to decide what they want to do,” said Cummins.
We seem to be in the Dark Ages in regard to this. We need to move forward and bring it into place, in our opinion.
Cummins said that customers have been asking restaurant staff “should this be happening in your restaurant?” and “is this legal in your restaurant”.
“You have the customer who is so used to having no smoking in the restaurant,” he pointed out. “People might be smoking e-cigarettes and [the customer] might have to take a second glance.”
He added that “if you were to use a standard operating procedure across all restaurants you could say ‘no you wouldn’t have [e-cigarettes] in [them]. There would be no conflict.”
Anything that tries to stop smoking in our opinion or reduces the number of smokers in the country is the right thing to do. I think there needs to be a policy developed around this brought in at national level and we’re willing to adopt it.
The e-cigarette retailer
Pic: Christophe Ena/AP/Press Association Images
Colm Bodkin of e-cigarette retailer Intellecigs said that the issue shows “yet more uncertainty about the product and the category in which it lies”.
Smokers that are trying to move away from cigarettes and using electronic cigarettes as a means to get off cigarettes, I think they’re being marginalised. I don’t think it’s fair. Most people are confusing the vapour with the carcinogenic second-hand smoke.
He claimed that the vapour from the cigarettes is “not harmful” and that “it’s almost as if they’re trying to criminalise the act of using e-cigarettes”.
Bodkin said there is a need to categorise the product and to regulate the product. “It could be beneficial for the e-cigarette industry and also for the consumer”.
Bodkin said he thinks there is “far too much scaremongering going on with regard to electronic cigarettes and their effect on the consumer”.
“I think there’s a desire for smokers to improve their health by not smoking regular cigarettes so it will just make it difficult for them,” he said of a potential ban in restaurants.
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I drive a taxi and for many reasons I don’t belive it’s a job for a woman. I would hate to see my wife or daughter drive a taxi. And before I’m bashed I am not sexest
You clearly are a sexist if you believe women are too weak to drive a taxi. You didn’t say they were weak but that is clearly what you are inferring
Implying, damn it.
No Philip I’m not ! But keep trying
Ah I see your Twitter has been suspended Philip Hogan bit of a troll are you hiding behind false names !
Just curious, what exactly are you saying?
OK Mr Weddingcar, why shouldn’t women drive taxis?
Because of the Philip Hogans off this world !!
That doesn’t even make sense. You don’t think your wife and daughter are capable of driving a taxi. Is it any wonder that feminism is so aggressive when your misogyny is so engrained
Are you busy tonight, weddingcar?
I dunno. All the other car jackings had male taxi drivers. Is the experience less terrifying as a man? I wouldn’t say so.
I wouldn’t think it would be either. If they take the car and let you go unharmed it’s the only good thing to come out of a car jacking.
Why I wouldn’t like my wife etc driving is because you are dealing with people at their worst late at night drunk or worse on drugs. It’s hard enough without having guys trying it on or been intimidating which would and does happen with female drivers.
Day time work wouldn’t be to bad but nights would be a disaster waiting to happen.
what do you mean it’s not a job for a woman? you didn’t really say why :L
So what you ate saying is that you would rather see women treated like glass, always kept away from danger. Give them a bit more credit. They might surprise you
James and Philip grow up !
but…i was asking a legit question. im not trying to be mean or cheeky
He is concentrating on his new big job in Europe from now on…
I’ve never seen one female taxi driver working at night. It’s common sense really.
Daniel there is many
Would you suggest that women don’t work as police or in A&E then? They’d be facing the exact same people. What I’d suggest is taxis that have a partition between the driver at the front and the passenger at the back. You’d have to have fairly thick skin to be a taxi driver, so why shouldn’t a woman be a taxi driver if they’re as thick skinned as the male taxi drivers?
Guys stop trying to prove Wexford limo a sexiest . what he is saying is very true. After a wild night out, most of the time Drank man make trouble at the street…you wont see many woman making trouble at night while they are drank. an drank man has a common issue to harass women. so in a Saturday night, when lots of drank wild mans are in the street, who will not bother about law and order or maybe not in a state of thinking clearly would probably find a woman taxi driver more easy rather than a Man driver. Its just a fact.
@Danny. Your a&e remark just makes no sense. In relation to female gardai, at night time gardai have to work in pairs. The also carry pepper spray, something which taxi drivers are not allowed have.
If working at night was the same as day they wouldn’t have the pairing system.
That young pup deserves the mother and father of a bating when caught..
Wow must admire her bravery for refusing to hand over the keys. May not always have worked out so well. But she definitely showed that chap there’s no messing with her.
I admire her bravery but it was a silly thing to do
This type of crime is going on a weekly basis in dublin. Noting new here
Women taxmen are not that uncommon now.
Women taximen are not that uncommon now.
Bit of an echo here ;)
Here.
Women taxi men maybe even women taxi drivers
Why make a point of the taxi driver’s gender? Is it relevant?
Yes
How?
Fair play for standing her ground. Little cowardly asswipe.
Wow a female taxi driver. It is so amazing that it must be put in the headline
When i saw the title. I new it was up north
Brendan ere you implying that such acts don’t happen south of the border???
Shouldn’t have made any difference if the driver was a man or woman it shouldn’t be happening , why can’t a judge make a statement and send the next attacker down for at least 5 years and this might stop it ?
but unfortunately it is always the case. weaker taxi driver are the easy target.
have your say