The Select Committee on Health has passed the third stage of the Public Health Bill, bringing legislation banning the sale of tobacco products to under-21s closer to law.
According to the bill, retailers will be banned from selling tobacco products to under-21s from 1 February 2025.
Vaping products will remain available to those over 18 years of age.
The legislation, first announced in May, aims to reduce the prevalence of smoking and dissuade young people from taking up the habit.
The Department of Health introduced it, as the level of smoking in adults has plateaued at 18% for several years.
At the time, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said of the bill, “The modelling shows us that this measure will not only protect the target age group, but will also protect those under 18, as they will be less likely to be in social groups with 21-year-olds, who can legally purchase cigarettes.”
If progressed into law, Ireland will be the first EU country to introduce this measure.
Latvia has enacted a law to raise the minimum age of sale to 20, starting in 2025.
Enactment
The bill states that retailers must confirm the age of customers before selling them the age-restricted products.
It adds that an authorised officer may send a person who is at least 15 years of age but under 21 into a premises – with the permission of a guardian – to check if the retailer allows him/her/them to buy age-restricted products.
This replaces a similar rule, but for those aged above 15 and below 18.
The advancing of the bill by the Select Committee on Health is the latest move by the government to reduce smoking rates, after it also restricted the sale of vaping products to over-18s only and banned the sale of tobacco products at events aimed at children.
Read More: Government Bans The Sale Of Tobacco Products At Children’s Events
