The Irish government seeks to increase the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21.
In Ireland, the legal age required to purchase tobacco products will now be increased to 21. Irish Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, stated this during a conference regarding the government's newly proposed plan. The government plans to approve this bill, which aims to speed up the decrease in smoking rates in the country.
Presently, the legal age for buying tobacco in Ireland is 18. This bill indicates that those individuals currently aged between 18-21 will not be impacted by the new minimum age requirement. Similarly, the legal minimum age of 18 for purchasing e-cigarettes, which was implemented last year, will also remain unchanged.
According to Donnelly, evidence from the United States demonstrates that increasing the age for tobacco sales reduces the social networks that can provide cigarettes for young individuals, thereby making them less likely to be around people who can legally purchase cigarettes.
The Irish Department of Health disclosed that the current proportion of smokers aged 15 and older in the country is 18%. Ireland was the first country within the EU to implement a ban on indoor smoking in 2004.
Latvia had previously announced its decision to raise the minimum age for smoking to 20 by 2025. In many EU countries and the United States, the legal age for purchasing tobacco and alcohol is 18.
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The latest news in tobacco regulation involves the Irish government aiming to align its minimum age for tobacco sales with that of the United States, setting it at 21. This move by the Irish Government follows evidence from the US showing a decrease in smoking among young individuals when the minimum age for tobacco purchases is increased. Despite this proposed change, those currently between 18-21 will not immediately be affected by the new minimum age requirement.
Source: www.ntv.de
