In an effort to curb smoking, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will apply for permission to increase the minimum legal age of sale for tobacco goods.

Because they will be less likely to be in social groups with persons who can legally acquire cigarettes, the new rule attempts to reduce the social sources of cigarettes for those under the age of 18.

The measure will be drafted such that it has no effect on those who are now legally permitted to purchase tobacco products and who are between the ages of 18 and 21.

This cohort will be exempt from the ban on the retail sale of tobacco products during a “wash through” period.

While the percentage of smokers in Ireland has declined, it has stabilised recently, with about 18% of adult Irish people now smoking.

In Ireland, tobacco usage results in about 4,500 fatalities annually from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.

In November 2021, the Irish Heart Foundation polled the public and discovered that 73% of adults and 71% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 were in favour of raising the legal smoking age to 21.

71% of respondents to a 2022 HSE-conducted Ipsos MRBI survey agreed that the government should raise the legal age of tobacco product purchase to 21.

The legal smoking age has already been raised in some nations, US states, and Canadian provinces.