A generational smoking ban looks to be on the cards for Ireland - but will it work?
The Irish government is considering a generational smoking ban that would permanently prohibit the sale of tobacco to young people born after a specific date. This policy aims to reduce national smoking rates to under 5% and aligns with similar legislative efforts in the UK.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in public health policy, moving toward the total elimination of tobacco sales for future generations.
A SMOKING BAN that permanently prohibits young people from buying cigarettes is being considered by the cabinet.
The ban is part of the government’s Tobacco Free Ireland Strategy, which aims to reduce the country’s smoking rate to under 5%.
The latest Healthy Ireland survey revealed that 17% of the population are smokers, with the highest rates among the 25-34 age group.
The ban is part of wider measures “to end the epidemic of tobacco-related harm in Ireland”, minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said during parliamentary questions this week.
Legislation raising the legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 has already been approved but will not take effect until February 2028.
Ireland would be the first EU country to go a step further and impose a generational ban on tobacco.
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