Ireland - Tobacco Reporter

Study: Nearly 1 in 4 Young Adults in Ireland Vape

Mike Macdonald — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:59:06 +0000

New findings from the 2024 Irish Health Survey, released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) this week, revealed that nearly a quarter of adults aged 18 to 34 in Ireland are using vapes. The data found 13.6% of the young adults vaping daily and another 10% occasionally. This age group shows the highest prevalence of vaping nationwide.

The survey gathered responses from over 5,100 adults, and found 7.1% of all adults surveyed vape daily, 10% smoke tobacco daily, with the highest smoking rates among those aged 45–54 (13.3%), and 8% of adults reported using cannabis in the last year, jumping to 22% among 18- to 24-year-olds.

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Irish PM Says Big Tobacco Using Old Playbook for Vape

Mike Macdonald — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 17:13:45 +0000

Speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin urged governments worldwide to adopt “the strongest possible measures against vaping,” warning that e-cigarette manufacturers are replicating the “predatory playbook” of the traditional tobacco industry—particularly by targeting youth.

“All the same issues we had to deal with in respect of cigarettes, we have to deal with vaping,” said Martin. “We’re catching up a bit later in Ireland with that.”

Ireland’s new restrictions on flavorings, product placement, and packaging design are scheduled to be enforced in February 2026, based on legislation introduced by the previous government. Youth vaping is accelerating across Europe—10.8% of adolescents aged 13–15 now use some form of tobacco, including e-cigarettes.

The rise in youth vaping spurred the European Commission to update its Recommendation on Smoke-Free Environments to explicitly include vapes and heated tobacco products, urging member states to ban vaping wherever smoking is prohibited, and is now further considering flavor bans, restrictions on online sales, and heavier taxation.

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WCTC Gets Protestors Wanting Input

Mike Macdonald — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:33:10 +0000

On the opening day of the World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC) in Dublin, the World Vapers’ Alliance staged a silent protest outside the venue, visually highlighting the exclusion of consumers from global tobacco and nicotine policy debates. Demonstrators with their mouths taped symbolized the ongoing marginalization of those most affected by regulatory decisions.

The protest is part of the “Voices Unheard—Consumers Matter!” campaign, launched as delegates gathered inside to discuss the future of tobacco control without meaningful input from the consumers who are most impacted by these policies.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said outdated, ideologically driven policies, often influenced by powerful interests like Michael Bloomberg, threaten to reverse progress in reducing smoking rates. “Safer nicotine alternatives have the potential to save millions of lives, but only if they are supported by sensible, evidence-based regulation. We cannot afford to let ideology stand in the way of real progress,” he said.

The campaign comes at a time when the World Health Organization is pushing for sweeping bans on flavored nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Such measures would remove vital tools from adults seeking to quit smoking and could drive many back to combustible tobacco.

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ESPAD Ireland Sees All-Time Low in Smoking, Vape on Rise

Mike Macdonald — Fri, 30 May 2025 01:41:57 +0000

Ireland recorded its lowest levels of teenage smoking and alcohol consumption in three decades, according to the 2024 Irish report of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). However, the findings saw increases in e-cigarette use, alternative nicotine products, and adolescent gambling.

ESPAD Ireland said 12% of students reported being current smokers, with daily smoking falling to just 2%, both all-time lows in Ireland’s 30 years of participating in the survey. However, 32% of respondents said they had tried e-cigarettes, and 7% reported daily use. Of those who tried vaping, 76% never used a cigarette. Cannabis use also dropped from 19% in 2019 to 12% in 2024.

“While the downward trend is encouraging, the data also reveals the continuing challenge: young people are still being drawn into tobacco and nicotine use—be it cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or emerging nicotine products,” said Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy. “We must act decisively to break this cycle.”

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Ireland Introduces Licensing Fees to Combat Illicit Vape Sales

admin — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:30:57 +0000

Starting February 2, 2025, Ireland will implement a new licensing system requiring retailers to pay annual fees to sell vaping and tobacco products. Retailers must pay €800 annually to sell vaping products and €1,000 for tobacco products, with tobacco-free nicotine pouches currently excluded from this regulation.

The Health Service Executive will oversee compliance, conducting inspections to ensure adherence to the new rules. Licenses are subject to annual renewal, and retailers found in violation risk losing their ability to sell these products. Previously, selling tobacco required a one-time €50 fee, and no license was needed for vaping products.

David Melinn, Country Manager at BAT Ireland, supports the licensing system, stating it will aid in enforcing the under-18 vape sales ban and prevent illegal vape sales. However, he expressed concerns over the exclusion of tobacco-free nicotine pouches from the legislation, hoping future amendments will address this oversight.

The introduction of these fees is part of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023, reflecting Ireland’s commitment to regulating nicotine product sales and reducing underage access. The government anticipates that this measure will enhance public health by curbing the availability of illicit vaping products, particularly among youth.

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‘Ireland’s Vape Tax Puts Smokers’ Lives at Risk’

nic360 — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 08:41:00 +0000

Ireland’s new tax on e-cigarettes is a setback in the fight against tobacco, condemning thousands of smokers to unnecessary premature death, according to international health experts.

This week, the Irish government announced a levy of €0.50 per ml of e-liquid as part of its annual budget, adding €1.23 to the cost of a typical vape. This tax is far above the European average of €0.10 to €0.30.

“Sweden is on the brink of achieving smoke-free status as a result of its progressive approach to safer alternatives like vaping. This contrasts sharply with Ireland’s approach, where smoking rates remain four times higher,” said Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden, in a statement.

“Sweden’s successful policies, including lower taxes on safer nicotine alternatives, have helped reduce smoking and smoking-related deaths. In stark contrast, Ireland’s new levy will discourage smokers from switching to less harmful options, potentially keeping them addicted to cigarettes and condemning them to unnecessary premature death.”

According to a recent Irish public consultation, only 10 percent of respondents supported increasing taxes on vaping above the EU average, while 39 percent warned that higher prices would push consumers to source products abroad.

Through the promotion of safer alternatives like snus, nicotine pouches and vapes, Sweden has reduced its smoking rates by 55 percent over the past decade, resulting in a staggering 44 percent fewer tobacco-related deaths compared to the rest of the European Union.

“By raising taxes on safer alternatives, Ireland jeopardizes its hopes of reducing smoking rates,” Humans said. “If Ireland truly wants to cut smoking and save lives, it should follow Sweden’s lead in promoting harm reduction, not penalize smokers for trying to quit.”

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Campaigners Slam Irish Tax Hike

nic360 — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:38:27 +0000

Campaigners slammed the Irish government’s decision to increase the excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by €1 ($1.11) starting Oct. 2.

The increase, which is double the usual increase of €0.50, will push the cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category above €18, according to The Journal.

Simon Clark, director of the Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest), described the decision as “brutal” and said law-abiding smokers were being “discriminated” against.

“Smoking is a legitimate habit,” said Clark. “This brutal hike in the cost of cigarettes will drive more smokers to the black market and fuel illicit trade.

“Law-abiding consumers, many of whom are on low incomes, will be unfairly discriminated against, and some may be forced further into poverty.

“It’s hard to imagine a more punitive or counterproductive measure because the only people who will benefit are criminal gangs and illicit traders.”

In addition to the cigarette tax hike, Ireland plans to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes from the middle of next year. The excise will place a fee on e-liquid at a rate of €0.50 for every milliliter.

The average disposable e-cigarette has 2 mL of e-liquid and costs €8. The introduction of the new tax will increase the cost to €9.23.

Minister for Finance Jack Chambers said it was not possible to introduce the fee this year due to operational and administrative challenges.

Lobby group Respect Vapers has accused politicians of attempting to “raise funds on vapes rather than helping people use vapes to quit smoking.”

The group pointed to a recent report by Healthy Ireland that said 25 percent of smokers who quit had used vapes and other studies that show the number of smokers in Ireland has reduced drastically in recent years.

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Irish Minister Proposes Vape Flavor Ban

nic360 — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 03:40:00 +0000

Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly proposed bans on nontobacco vape flavors and advertising in nonspecialized shops, reports The Irish Times. He tabled the suggestions as Ireland’s cabinet approved restrictions on disposable vapes on Sept. 9.

Donnelly said the proposals are aimed at protecting children. He believes companies are “very cynically” targeting children. The proposed legislation, he said, would see just one flavor, tobacco, being sold.

“We live in a country where around 13 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 17 have vaped in the last 30 days,” said Taoiseach Simon Harris, who described vaping as “the revenge of the tobacco industry.”

Minister of State for Public Health Colm Burke said the regulations are necessary because “many people who used vaping products subsequently moved on to smoking.”

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Ireland to Raise Tobacco Sales Age

nic360 — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 07:26:03 +0000

Ireland will to raise the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21.

With the measure, the government hopes to accelerate the decline in adult smoking prevalence, which has plateaued at 18 percent for several years, and reduce underage smoking prevalence to zero.

“My goal with this measure is to assist our young people to avoid a lifetime of addiction and illness from tobacco smoking. The modelling shows us that this measure will not only protect the targeted age group and but will also protect those under 18 as they will be less likely to be in social groups with 21 year olds who can legally purchase cigarettes,” said Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in a statement.

“Countries around the world are looking at endgame measures for smoking. We are no longer regulating it; we are seeking to eliminate it from our lives and the lives of our children. I’m very proud that Ireland is continuing its tradition of leading the way on this issue, and today’s measure is another important step on our journey towards a tobacco-free Ireland.”

Ireland will be the first EU country to raise the smoking age to 21. The measure will be phased in so that that those already entitled to be sold tobacco products—that is, persons over 18 but under 21—will not be affected.

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Ireland to Raise Smoking Age

nic360 — Mon, 13 May 2024 18:38:14 +0000

Ireland will raise the minimum legal age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21 under plans due to be approved by Cabinet on May14, reports The Irish Times.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is also drafting legislation to ban disposable vapes and restrict point-of sale-promotion of e-cigarettes.

The legislation will reportedly include a grace period allowing those aged 18-21 to keep buying tobacco products until a yet-to-be-named date.

Health officials are hoping that the age hike could also limit the social sources of cigarettes for children and young people as they may be less likely to be in social groups with people who can legally purchase cigarettes.

Seventy-three percent of adults and 71 per cent of those aged 18-24 support raising the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21, according to a survey by the Irish Heart Foundation.

In December, Ireland banned the sale of vapes under-18s.

From this September, there will also be curbs on advertising on public transport and near schools as well as a ban on sales at events attended by children. A ban on the sale of tobacco and vape products from vending machines is also to be enacted shortly, while a new licensing regime will mean all shops selling these products will have to pay an annual license.

About 18 percent of Irish adults currently smoke.

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