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.”
