They have been hailed by some as a boon for smokers desperately trying to quit -- but now Europe has taken a step towards banning the sale of smoke free 'electronic' cigarettes.
A leaked report drafted by the European Commission seeks to overturn a vote by MEPs that rejected outlawing them in their present form.
If the ban goes ahead, it would override a review currently under way here by the Department of Health exploring the regulation of e-cigarettes.
Health Minister James Reilly had ordered the review and arising from his decision, the Irish Medicines Board would then decide whether or not to license the sale of the cigarette substitutes.
E-cigarettes are inhalers that vapourise liquid nicotine into an aerosol mist, simulating the act of tobacco smoking, but manufacturers claim they are safer because they do not contain cancer-causing tar.
However, officials in Brussels fear that there is a "risk that electronic cigarettes can develop into a gateway to normal cigarettes".
Source: Nicola Anderson, Irish Independent, 29/11/13
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