Read articles from Ireland

October 09, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

The new GSTHR briefing paper focuses on a shift that is already happening: people moving from cigarettes to safer nicotine products. These transitions are not theoretical policy models; they can be seen across countries where vapes, pouches, snus and heated tobacco products are changing patterns of nicotine use. That matters because the public health gain comes from reducing exposure to combustion, even when nicotine use continues. Regulation should understand these pathways before it disrupts them.

September 30, 2026 by clearingtheair.eu

A claim from the top of government can shape what thousands of smokers believe about risk. Describing vaping and cigarettes in a way that blurs their differences does not protect public health; it can make lower-risk choices look pointless. Researchers challenging the Irish PM’s statement should be taken seriously because risk communication has consequences. Political messages on nicotine need to be accurate, proportionate and clear about the far greater harms of combustion.

September 29, 2026 by gsthr.org

For many people, the route away from smoking is not one clean break but a transition. The latest GSTHR Briefing Paper looks at emerging shifts from cigarettes to safer nicotine products across countries, showing how people reduce risk by changing the way they use nicotine. These country-level patterns matter because they reveal what happens when alternatives are available, acceptable and understood. Tobacco policy should learn from those real-world transitions instead of treating continued nicotine use as a failure.

September 22, 2026 by thejournal.ie

The phrase “vaping is worse than smoking” does more than misstate the evidence — it changes behaviour. A smoker who believes that message may see little reason to switch, even though cigarettes remain the far more harmful product. Good fact-checking restores the missing hierarchy: vaping is not harmless, but it is not smoking. Clear risk communication can be the difference between staying with combustion and taking a less harmful route away from it.

September 14, 2026 by politico.eu

The EU’s delayed tobacco tax vote shows how contested the future of nicotine policy has become. Sweden’s election has turned timing into strategy, but the deeper question is whether Europe will tax according to risk or flatten cigarettes, vapes, pouches and heated tobacco into one category. A credible fiscal framework should keep combustible tobacco clearly less attractive than lower-risk alternatives. Tax policy can raise revenue, but it should not erase the incentives that help smokers move away from combustion.

September 10, 2026 by smokefreesweden.org

Ireland’s Taoiseach has been accused of dangerously misleading smokers after claiming vapes are “nearly worse than cigarettes” and signalling support for an outright ban.

Micheál Martin’s comments contradict the latest evidence from Cochrane, widely regarded as the gold standard for independent medical evidence.

Cochrane’s latest review, published on August 26, found high-certainty evidence that nicotine vapes help more people quit smoking than traditional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) such as patches and gum.

August 17, 2026 by clearingtheair.eu

Prisons show why harm reduction has to deal with practical risks, not only ideals. Safer vape access can reduce second-hand smoke exposure, support people who smoke and lower fire risks linked to illicit or improvised products. That is public health in a controlled environment: fewer hazards, clearer rules and less pressure on staff and residents. Ireland’s approach should recognise that reducing harm often starts with making the safer option workable.

August 12, 2026 by smokefreesweden.org

Ireland’s vape ban debate is becoming a test of whether public health can separate protection from overreach. Restrictions aimed at reducing youth use may sound straightforward, but they can also remove products that help adults stay away from cigarettes. The risk is a policy that looks tough while making smoking harder to escape. A better approach would target underage access and illicit sales without closing legal routes to lower-risk alternatives.

August 05, 2026 by clearingtheair.eu

Ireland’s de facto vape flavour ban has hit a pause because other EU countries are asking the proportionality question. Italy and Greece’s objections highlight a wider concern: whether national restrictions on safer nicotine products can be justified when they may reduce adult switching and fragment the single market. Youth protection remains important, but it should be pursued through targeted enforcement rather than broad measures that remove useful alternatives. A delay is not a defeat for public health; it is a chance to get the policy right.

July 31, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

Ireland says it wants fewer people smoking, yet its vape policy risks making switching harder. If flavours, disposables or legal access are restricted too far, some adults may lose the products that helped them move away from cigarettes. The result could be a policy gap where smoking is discouraged, but practical alternatives are weakened. A serious tobacco strategy should remove barriers to switching, not build new ones.