Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Ireland

3rd December 2024: Ireland: With all the votes counted, the main ruling party, Fianna Fáil, has once again obtained the largest number of seats, 48, at the Dáil (lower house of the parliament), press reports. The main opposition party, Sinn Féin, has obtained 39 seats, closely followed by the second main party in the current coalition government, Fine Gael, with 38. Fianna Fáil is likely to form a coalition government again with Fine Gael, and its victory is likely to have an impact on the innovative tobacco products sector, as the party holds a negative view towards tobacco and new tobacco products. Fianna Fáil stated in its political manifesto that it would ban the sale of tobacco products to under-21s if re-elected.
27th June 2024: Ireland: The Public Health (Tobacco Amendment) bill has been introduced today at the Dáil Éireann (lower chamber of the Irish parliament). The bill must now go through several debates in each chamber in order to be passed. It aims to increase the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco products, including heated tobacco, from 18 to 21.
3rd June 2024: Ireland: The Ministry of Health has started work on amending the Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products Act in order to prohibit the sale of these products through self-service. The health minister, Stephen Donnelly, aims to implement the measures by September 2025. This means the sale of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products via vending machines will be banned. Donnelly has also proposed other measures aimed at preventing the consumption of these products among under-18s, such as increasing the age of sale from 18 to 21.
7th December 2023: Ireland: The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill has been adopted in both houses of the parliament. Along with prohibiting the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes to under-18s, it will also introduce retail licensing, prohibit sales of vapour and tobacco products through vending machines and at events intended for children, as well as ban advertising around schools and on vehicles of public transport. The bill must be signed by the president before it enters into force.
27th November 2023: Ireland: The health minister, Stephen Donnelly, and the minister of state for public health, Hildegarde Naughton, have launched a public consultation on the regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products. The consultation focuses on what measures could be introduced to reduce the appeal of these products to young people and improve public health. It will be open until 5th January 2024.
24th October 2023: Ireland: The tax on heated tobacco has increased from €301.430 per kg to €335.322 per kg.
7th December 2022: Ireland: The newly published Healthy Ireland survey 2022 shows 18% of the population are current smokers, 14% smoking daily and 4% occasionally; those in the 25-34 age group are the most likely to smoke.
14th November 2022: Ireland: Calls have been made to raise the legal age to 21 to purchase tobacco products and e-cigarettes, press reports. Center-right party Fine Gael health spokesperson and Cork North Central TD (Teachta Dála, a member of the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas – the Irish Parliament) Colm Burke has called on the government to consider this option and include it in the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019 that is currently under consideration. Burke made this proposal at an event titled "Tobacco 21: The case for raising the legal age for the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes in Ireland" to which the Irish Heart Foundation and Council of the Irish Heart Foundation, among other medical organisations, attended. Currently, Fine Gael holds 35 seats out of 160 in the Dáil Éireann and it is part of the coalition government, alongside the center-right Fianna Fáil and the Green party.
19th July 2022: Ireland: The Oireachtas (parliament) Joint Health Committee is considering regulating nicotine pouches and heated tobacco. The committee has published a report containing submissions by stakeholders during pre-legislative scrutiny of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019, along with its own recommendations in relation to each of the submitted proposals. These include a recommendation that nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, whose popularity has increased in Europe, should be regulated under the bill.

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