Ireland's legislative council said banning e-cigarettes would have negative consequences
Siobhain Brophy of the Department of Tobacco and Alcohol Control stressed that more than a third of smokers who are trying to quit choose e-cigarettes. The new Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine inhalation Products) Bill will ban the sale of tobacco products in temporary premises, at events or locations aimed at children, and prohibit the sale of tobacco or nicotine inhalation products by persons under the age of 18.
In addition, retail stores selling e-cigarettes and tobacco products will be required to register once a year, instead of currently having to register only once, making it harder to track licenses.
Claire Gordan, of the Department of Tobacco and Alcohol Control, provided figures showing that a third of young people take up the habit after three or four cigarettes, adding that the figures also showed that 5 per cent of school-age children were current smokers.
Cigarette prices have gone up
In 2021, as part of the country's 2022 budget, an increase of 50 cents per pack of cigarettes was announced. The Wall Street Journal notes that this is the sixth year in a row that the duty has increased by that amount per pack of 20 cigarettes, and that the latest increase would be equivalent to a pack that now costs a staggering 15 euros.
Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the increase was aimed at discouraging smoking and supporting local public health policy goals. However, the Irish Heart Foundation believes the increase fails to address tobacco use among young people. The group had previously suggested raising the price to 20 euros by 2025, and for e-cigarette products, they suggested an excise tax on e-liquids.