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Smoking in Ireland

Daily tobacco smoking prevalence is at 14%.

Read articles from Ireland

September 28, 2022 by thejournal.ie

Cost of cigarettes to increase but price of a pint remains the same

THE COST OF a pack of 20 cigarettes is set to jump by 50 cent as the result of an increase in excise duty.

There will also be a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products.

Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe said this will “support public health policy to reduce smoking in Irish society”. 

A 0% VAT rate will also be applied to nicotine replacement therapies.

September 05, 2022 by news-medical.net

Teenagers influenced by smoking parents to start using e-cigarettes, research says

Teenagers whose parents are smokers are 55% more likely to try e-cigarettes, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain. In a large study of Irish teenagers, the researchers have also found that the proportion who have tried e-cigarettes has been increasing dramatically and that although boys are more likely to use e-cigarettes, the rate of use among girls in increasing more rapidly.

The researchers highlight the risks associated with nicotine addiction and call for more effective regulation to protect children and teenagers.

August 04, 2022 by irishexaminer.com

Youngsters who vape five times more likely to start smoking

Young people who use e-cigarettes are up to five times as likely to begin smoking tobacco cigarettes, according to new research.

The results of a project undertaken by the Health Research Board (HRB) show that users of e-cigarettes — the formal term for vaping products — are between three and five times “more likely to start smoking tobacco cigarettes compared to those who never used e-cigarettes".

The HRB report, for which more than 360 published studies about e-cigarettes and health were scrutinised, further states that e-cigarettes are “no more effective” than medically approved and regulated nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches, at helping people stop smoking.

August 03, 2022 by dublinlive.ie

Dublin professor concerned for young people as vaping promoted on TikTok

A Dublin professor has expressed his concern for young people as he says that vaping is being promoted on TikTok.

Professor Des Cox, chair of Royal College of Physicians Policy Group on Tobacco is worried about the increasing trend of vaping in young people under the age of 18 and he believes that social media is playing a part in it. He told RTE Radio One: “There’s a big issue with the marketing of disposable vapes and the most common form of advertising for people in a recent study was through TikTok. Manufacturers' tactics are that they’re trying to get young people hooked on these devices. That’s what’s concerning.”

August 01, 2022 by thejournal.ie

Opinion: E-cigarettes are not part of the solution to a tobacco free Ireland

LAST WEEK, THE JOURNAL published the opinion article “why are we waging war on e-cigarettes when they help smokers quit”. I have been given the opportunity to explain why this is a war that should be pursued.

In 2013, the government launched a bold plan for Ireland to become Tobacco Free by reducing the prevalence of tobacco smoking to 5% by 2025. As of 2021, 18% of the Irish adult population are current smokers so we will not meet this ambitious target.

The opinion piece last week argued that Ireland needs to embrace e-cigarettes as a way to help more people quit tobacco but is there evidence to support such an approach?

July 22, 2022 by thejournal.ie

GP: Why are we waging a war on e-cigarettes when they help smokers quit?

THE JOINT COMMITTEE on Health published its report this week on pre-legislative scrutiny of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019. A number of recommendations were made including a ban on all flavours added to electronic cigarettes (other than tobacco flavour).

The rationale given was that flavours attract young people and that removing their availability would be less appealing to adolescents and this would curtail their use. The report also states that “tobacco costs the Irish exchequer €10.6 billion every year and that 6,000 deaths a year are caused as a result of smoking”. [...]

July 18, 2022 by independent.ie

Irish Heart Foundation backs calls for banning of flavoured e-cigarettes

The Irish Heart Foundation has endorsed measures that would ban flavoured e-cigarettes and marketing techniques aimed at encouraging young people to take up vaping.

The charity said it has lobbied extensively to have four sweeping recommendations included in a pre-legislative scrutiny report for the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill that was published this weekend. One of the key recommendations in the Oireachtas Health Committee’s report is a prohibition on the flavouring of all vapes, except tobacco.

“Vape manufacturers clearly use flavours – and research has identified thousands of them – that they know will attract minors,” said Mark Murphy [...]

April 13, 2022 by thetimes.co.uk

Vapers in Ireland think flavour ban would create a black market, survey shows

More than nine in ten users of e-cigarettes in Ireland would not favour an outright ban on flavoured vapes, a new survey has found.

The research, conducted by Red C, a market researcher in Dublin, was carried out through 221 face-to-face surveys last month. The survey found that nearly half of vapers would stop vaping altogether if a flavour ban was introduced. It’s believed more than 200,000 people are vape users in Ireland. About 84 per cent of vapers believe a flavours ban would create a black market for the products, while a majority — 59 per cent — said they would source the products abroad or online. [...]

March 01, 2022 by irishtimes.com

All tobacco product sales should be banned to people under 21, Oireachtas to hear

All tobacco products including vaping products should be banned for sale to people under the age of 21, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) will argue at an Oireachtas Committee on Tuesday.

The all-party committee on Health is discussing the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019 and will hear submissions from the RCPI, [...]
In its opening statement, the RCPI will argue that vaping be subject to similar stringent restrictions as smoking products. It will set out a case for increasing the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products (including vaping products) from 18 to 21.

February 15, 2022 by independent.ie

Flavour ban on e-cigarettes could damage anti-smoking drive, Oireachtas health committee told

A flavour ban on e-cigarettes could damage tobacco harm reduction and consumer choice, the Oireachtas health committee was told today.

Declan Connolly of the Irish Vape Vendors Association (UVVA) said e-liquid flavours are of” vital importance to vapers.”

" IVVA is deeply concerned by the negative effects a flavour ban could have on tobacco harm reduction and consumer choice. A survey carried out by the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) in 2020 found that to nearly 65pc of vapers vaped fruit or sweet e-liquids on a daily basis.