Raising the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21 should pave the path towards the eventual eradication of the product in Ireland, insists the Irish Heart Foundation. The cabinet is anticipated to greenlight plans to boost the legal purchasing age of tobacco from 18, prompted by concerns over the steady smoking rates in Ireland.
Recent data from the Health Ireland Survey 2023, issued by the Health Department, showed that the smoking populace in Ireland – totalling 18% – hasn’t seen a decline since 2021. The latest available figures from 2019 reveal that the smoking rate amongst teenage boys in Ireland grew for the first time in 25 years to 16.2%, up from 13.1% four years prior. The percentage of teenage girls who smoke remained constant at 12.8%.
Chris Macey, the Irish Heart Foundation’s advocacy and patient support director, said increasing the legal age for tobacco sales to 21 was “a vital public health measure”. He added, “Our priority is to safeguard the upcoming generation from the impacts of smoking. It seems we strayed from our path recently. The approach to creating a 5% smoking rate by 2025 has been forgotten. There’s a need for us to take bolder strides.”
The UK will introduce a new law that amplifies the legal age to buy cigarettes by a year annually. This implies that those born in or after 2009 will never be legally eligible to purchase cigarettes. Mr Macey backed this move, suggesting that Ireland should follow this lead in the future.
“This significant step should serve as a springboard to phase out the lawful sale of tobacco. It requires a national conversation on outlawing tobacco in Ireland,” he said.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) stated tobacco use is the primary cause of avoidable death in Ireland. Each year nearly 6,000 smokers succumb to tobacco-related illnesses. Deaths due to smoking are predominantly linked to cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease.
In a policy statement issued in 2022, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland urged for a raise in the legal smoking age to 21. Their argument was that the younger a person begins to smoke or use any other addictive substance, the higher the possibility of addiction development. The paper cited international research evidence, suggesting that implementing ‘Tobacco 21’ regulations could lead to a significant decline in smoking rates. Specifically, it could potentially reduce smoking by 25% amongst individuals aged 15-17 and a 15% reduction among those aged 18-20.