Read articles from Ireland

September 20, 2021 by miragenews.com

For the first time in 25 years, rates of smoking among teenage boys in Ireland are increasing, according to a study published in ERJ Open Research. [1]

The study also shows that rates of vaping among teenagers have risen in the last four years and that teenagers who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke.

The researchers say their findings indicate that Ireland will not meet its targets to reduce smoking rates and they add to evidence that vaping could be promoting a new generation of young people addicted to nicotine.

September 17, 2021 by independent.ie

Increasing the cost of cigarettes in the Budget may not lead to an increased tax take as smokers turn to cheaper tobacco products from other countries, as well as e-cigrarettes, the Revenue Commissioners have warned.

A strategy paper prepared by the Department of Finance looks at the impact of adding extra taxes to packets of cigarettes or roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco.

It says: “The Revenue Commissioners have expressed a view that increases in excise may not lead to increased yields, as higher cigarette prices in Ireland could reduce demand due to greater incentives to purchase non-Irish duty paid tobacco products [...]

June 04, 2021 by irishtimes.com

British American Tobacco (BAT), which trades in Ireland as PJ Carroll, has accused the State’s tobacco regulator of “inaction” for failing to rein in its commercial rivals over allegations that some of them are selling new products that it claims may be in breach of last year’s ban on menthol-flavoured cigarettes. The Health Service Executive said a year ago that it would investigate tobacco companies for allegedly breaching the Europe-wide ban on menthol flavours, which some have allegedly tried to circumvent with techniques exploiting loopholes while marketing them as menthol substitutes.

May 27, 2021 by irishexaminer.com

Teenagers who smoke are more likely to use both conventional tobacco products and e-cigarettes, while the prevalence of e-cigarette use among 15–16 year-olds has increased more than four fold since 2014.

The research indicates that adolescents don't see e-cigarettes as an adjunct to quitting a sustained smoking habit, its authors found.

March 09, 2021 by thetimes.co.uk

Fewer children in Ireland are smoking tobacco but more are using electronic cigarettes, a new study has found. The report, which looked at school-aged children’s health behaviour between 1998 and 2018, found that fewer children were using substances three years ago than twenty years ago. It also found that more than half of children exercise regularly, more children are feeling pressured by school work and more children report feeling low.

February 09, 2021 by breakingnews.ie

Ireland has the highest rate of cannabis smokers in the European Union.

Some 17 per cent of Irish people now use products containing cannabis, according to a new survey from Eurobarometer.

Ireland also has the highest share of people who use e-cigarettes, at seven per cent against the EU average of two per cent.

Tim Hayes of the European Commission said the number of Irish people smoking cigarettes has continued to decline.

“Luckily, the number of people smoking is steadily declining in Ireland, and now only one in five smoke tobacco on a daily basis,” he said.

January 04, 2021 by breakingnews.ie

Four in five Irish smokers intent to quit in 2021 according to new HSE research.

It also found that people who stay off cigarettes for 28 days are five times more likely to quite smoking for good.

The research found that 79 per cent of Irish smokers intend to quit, two in five have set a goal to quit for 28 days, while five per cent of former smokers started again during the Covid-19 pandemic. Martina Blake, national lead, HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, said: “Most people who smoke want to quit but for many the idea of quitting can seem impossible. [...]

December 08, 2020 by filtermag.org

While I was volunteering at an Irish homelessness service called Dublin Simon Community a couple of years ago, I helped work on their harm reduction policy. One day, a staff member said: “What about tobacco smoking?”

This led me down a rabbit hole which changed the way I thought about this issue. I eventually applied for a tobacco harm reduction grant and conducted a small study—looking at the challenges, opportunities and efficacy of tobacco harm reduction in the very supported temporary accommodation (STA) service in inner-city Dublin where the staff member had asked the question. [...]

October 12, 2020 by irishexaminer.com

Teenagers are between three and five times more likely to start smoking if they have used electronic cigarettes previously, a new report has claimed.

The Health Research Board (HRB) [...] said its review into e-cigarette use found that e-cigarettes are associated with adolescents starting to smoke tobacco cigarettes, which could potentially lead to serious harm. Its review concluded that e-cigarettes are no more effective than approved and regulated nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) to help people stop smoking, while their safety beyond 12 months is not yet known.

October 06, 2020 by extra.ie

The price of a packet of cigarettes should go up to €20 by 2025 to protect youngsters from becoming hooked on smoking, the Irish Heart Foundation said yesterday.

Such a hike would add almost 50% to the current €13.50 price for most brands but is needed to protect young people from nicotine addiction, the group has claimed. The IHF is also urging the Government to introduce a new tax on electronic cigarettes and vaping liquids in next week’s Budget.