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ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS OF people in Ireland want the legal age for the sale of tobacco raised from 18 to 21, new research shows.
The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) says the findings send an overwhelming message to Government that the public wants decisive action to save a new generation from the “health catastrophe” of smoking – which claims almost 6,000 lives in Ireland every year.
The Ipsos MRBI poll for the charity coincides with an online conference attended by international tobacco control experts today. It follows on from research showing smoking among young people in Ireland is on the rise for the first time in a quarter of a century.
A total of 73% of the 1,029 people aged over 15 surveyed in the poll are in favour of raising the age for the sale of cigarettes to 21, with 26% disagreeing and 1% undecided.
In the 18-24 age group, 71% backed the proposal.
The IHF’s director of advocacy, Chris Macey, said: “One in every three young people who start smoking will die of a tobacco-related illness.
“For every death, a further 30 will suffer a smoking-related disease such as stroke, heart disease, cancer and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
“It would be an utter dereliction of our duty of care not to protect our young people from the death and destruction caused by smoking. We have got to find an end game to tobacco addiction. If cigarettes were invented today, they would simply not be legal.”
The charity – which also wants the measure extended to e-cigarettes due to evidence of their gateway effect on smoking – said data showing an increase in teenage smoking strengthens the case for a tobacco ban for under-21s.
In 1995, the teen smoking rate in Ireland was 41%, which fell dramatically to 13.1% by 2015, but by 2019 had crept back up to 14.4%.
“The evidence strongly suggests that raising the age of sale will turn the tide back in the right direction, disrupting a high rate of smokers moving from casual use to addiction between the ages of 18 and 20,” Macey added.
We would be confident similar laws will work in Ireland due to the hugely positive impact of increasing the age of sale here in 2002 from 16 to 18.
“In the US, Tobacco 21 laws introduced in various states before it became federal law in 2019 reduced smoking in that age group by up to 33.9%. The US Institute of Medicine says 223,000 lives will be saved among those born between 2000-2019.
“We would be confident similar laws will work in Ireland due to the hugely positive impact of increasing the age of sale here in 2002 from 16 to 18.”
Macey argued that raising the age would not amount to a breach of people’s rights, stating that under-21s are already prohibited from activities such as adopting children, driving large passenger vehicles, supervising learner drivers and standing in national and European elections.
He will present the Ipsos MRBI research today at online conference Tobacco 21: The case for raising the legal age for the sale of tobacco in Ireland.
One of the speakers, Dr Emmet O’Brien, consultant respiratory physician at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, said lung function continues to grow through late adolescence and into the mid-twenties.
“Youth smoking both accelerates lung function decline and prevents the attainment of maximum lung size, thereby increasing the risk for chronic respiratory disease,” O’Brien added.
“Raising the minimum age of tobacco purchase to 21 will be an important milestone to protect the developing lung from the harmful effects of tobacco exposure, reduce the premature loss of lung function in youth smokers and mitigate against nicotine addiction at this critical stage.”
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I’m getting a bit tired of these charities producing polls that they paid for that say the majority of Irish people agree with whatever policy the charity is trying to achieve. There’s a new one every week.
@Vestigial:
Do they pay for who responds to the polling?
@Ixtrix Net: wonder where all these polls take place. I’ve never been asked to take part in one
@Vestigial: Oh, but Americans benefited from Prohibition; let’s ban everything and sit in a shack reading the Bible. It’s for our own good, mar dhea.
@Vestigial: surely they should say 73% of people polled. Can’t really say 73% in Ireland unless they have asked everyone in Ireland.
@Vestigial: what do you think about the subject? Do you think its a good idea to make the legal age to buy tobacco 21?
@Fiona Fitzgerald: where did you read about banning everything in the article?
Make cigarettes illegal for anyone born after 2003. Problem as good as solved in 10 years
@The Kerry Slug: Prescription only from your GP
@The Kerry Slug: Then we’ll have a black market with cigarettes that aren’t regulated, and it would eventually be easier to buy them underage. Just like how it’s easier for 15 year olds to buy cannabis than to buy alcohol.
@Tomo: You are going to have a black market anyways as we have seen so why not just ban them outright. Black market or no black market , a complete ban will save a lot of lives every year. It will also free up hospital beds etc for other illnesses that need to be treated. I smoked for many a year and it all started with easy access to the cancer sticks, if I did not have the easy access in my teens, more than likely I would never have taken up the habit. Oh how I wish now that they were banned outright before I started.
@The Kerry Slug: Thats honestly the stupidist comment I’ve read this week. Name one time prohibition of anything has ever worked?
@The Kerry Slug: Make driving a petrol/diesel car illegal to drive by anyone born after 2003. Help solve our climate issue.
@The Kerry Slug: You can’t ban something out of existence. If there’s a market there will be a supply. Kids have much easier access to banned drugs then to legal ones and a lack of a regulated market makes the product more dangerous for the consumer. We’re being held back as a nation waiting for people like you to catch up particularly with regard to cannabis. Put simply, your thinking is debunked, outdated and incorrect. Please catch up.
@Black Iron Tarkus: I would generally agree that prohibition is pointless when banning something desirable or useful. But who in their right mind would actively seek out nicotine as an illegal drug if they werent already hooked on it? To make it illegal now but still available on prescription for addicts might save a few younger lives down the line
@Nameo Maximus: Then alcohol? And sugar? Possibly set up a direct debit to spend our savings on television instead? It’s for our own good, why consult us at all if we’re no longer living in a free country?
@Black Iron Tarkus: You don’t get it lad. Kids ween themselves onto cigarettes by the very nature of them being accessible. In smoking areas etc. Of course you’d get a black market but also probably a 90% reduction in uptake. We complain about the health service being inadequate, well we have to hold up our side of the bargain too.
@Roy Dowling: Fantastic comparison Roy. Really great stuff. Fair play to you.
@Declan Doherty: Imagine a nation without smokers. Would be class. I’m all for legalising weed Declan. I think the difference between tobacco and weed is night and day. If heroine was legal a lot more people would do it. When you live in a society you get to decide what’s best for people. Especially when we have a shared health service.
@The Kerry Slug: it wasn’t supposed to be a comparison. It’s supposed to be as stu pid as your original comment.
I don’t care if 99.9% if people think it should be banned, it’s my body and my choice.
@John Duggan: that’s fine saying that when you have the maturity to make the choice. Should we let kids run amok and get hooked on alcohol and drugs in their early teens because ‘it is their body, their choice’ ?
@James Beattie: James, kids have easier access to banned products than legal regulated ones. You should try warming up your bra1n cell before making comments.
@James Beattie: yes. A generation of alcoholics and smokers is a small price to pay for my freedom.
Obviously I’m joking, but the article is about raising the age to 21 (3 years into adulthood) while I never mention reducing the age limit. I certainly don’t believe children should be allowed to smoke or drink (although a little red wine with dinner won’t kill them).
@John Duggan:
Your choice if you smoke it in your own home (assuming you own your home and aren’t ruining a rented place with the smell). I shouldn’t have to breath in that disgusting cloud of poison on the street or at the bus stop.
Smoking in public is a bit obnoxious behaviour tbh. Aside from the health effects of second hand smoke, it smells rank and the rank smell clings to clothes.
@David Bourke: get over yourself
@Darren Sheridan:
No u
@James Beattie: “Should we let kids run amok and get hooked on alcohol and drugs in their early teens”
It’s already illegal to sell alcohol or cigarettes to anyone under 18 so that’s kids ‘in their early teens’ covered.
Obviously that doesn’t stop many kids of that age from obtaining alcohol and cigarettes nor will raising the legal age to 21.
We love passing feel good legislation in this country, makes us feel like we’re making a difference.
The fact is, an 18 year old is an adult and we shouldn’t be restricting the lives of adults with legislation that we then pretend is aimed at protecting children.
@John Duggan: Your choice now but when you end up in a hospital bed with lung cancer or emphysema will you be glad with your choice then. A complete waste of health care resources on you but we will still try keep you alive through hour misery.
@Splat: You could make the same arguments about fat people or any number of other people who’s life choices ultimately lead to their demise. Where do you stop?
@John Duggan: Except I will be paying for your terminal/hospice care when you eventually develop cancer or COPD. And it is a terrible and preventable way of dying.
@John Duggan: Except I will be paying for your terminal/hospice care when you eventually develop cancer or COPD. And it is a terrible (and preventable way of dying.
@John Duggan: Except I will be paying for your terminal/hospice care when you eventually develop cancer or COPD. And it is a terrible (and preventable) way of dying.
My gran always says most of the men of her generation were dead early because they smoked and drank alcohol
Strange times we live in, at 16 people can leave school and enter fulltime employment.
At 17 people can give consent to have sex, they can also apply for a car driving licence.
At 18 people can choose how they identify in terms of gender, they can marry someone of the same gender or a different gender, they can also legally purchase alcohol, they can also join the Armed forces or Garda and serve their country.
And yet some people apparently believe that these very same adults, are not old enough to make their own decisions about tobacco?
So you can join the army at 18, getting shipped around the globe and potentially have to kill someone, but you’ll have to wait 3 more years to buy some cigarettes.
Makes sense :-)
@Wolfgang Bonow: Both based on the same principle, sign em up as young & dummb as possible before they realise what theyve gotten themselves into! #DeathLottery
I saw 2 Francie Brady’s fogging for death near me last night if they were 7 they were lot,smoke was nearly bigger than them haha smoking bad people stay clear….
@Mark Murphy: what were two 7yr olds doing out at night? Where were you that they were standing beside you smoking?
@This time its personable!: Probably putting a bet on at the bookies.
@Sean May: you’re right, well known that kids love the all weather racing.
They should add another year for the vape products. It should take at least that long to get addicted and then decide to give up.
Cigarettes should be encouraged it makes room for the next generation on the planet
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