Sinn Féin will not support plan to raise smoking age to 21

The Public Health (Tobacco) Amendment Bill 2024 would increase the minimum age of purchase of tobacco products to 21 from February 1, 2028. Picture: Sasko Lazarov 

Sinn Féin will not be backing the Government’s bill to raise the smoking age to 21, the Dáil heard yesterday.

The proposed bill was called unreasonable and unenforceable by the party’s spokesperson for health, David Cullinane.

The Public Health (Tobacco) Amendment Bill 2024 would increase the minimum age of purchase of tobacco products to 21 from February 1, 2028.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the bill signals the “beginning of the end of tobacco in our country”.

However, Sinn Féin TDs have argued that a person becomes an adult at the age of 18 and should be permitted to make their own decisions.

They argued that it would be more beneficial to pass legislation on vapes addressing advertising, packaging, and flavouring as a priority than debating the ‘Smoking 21’ bill, as it has been called.

Mr Cullinane said that the bill does not prohibit persons under the age of 21 from using nicotine, it just means they cannot personally purchase cigarettes.

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“The idea that an 18-year-old can join the Defence Forces, buy a vape or buy alcohol, but cannot buy a cigarette is unreasonable, and probably more importantly unenforceable,” he said.

Further, as the bill does not affect vaping, people under 21 will be able to buy nicotine and use it in their vapes, said Cork TD Thomas Gould. 

He added that if the bill is passed it would push more trade into the “tobacco black market”.

Mr Donnelly conceded the bill is not “a foolproof measure” but said it will make it harder for younger people to buy cigarettes.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that the bill has a single purpose and it is to 'spare young people a lifetime of addiction and potential illness that comes through smoking cigarettes'.

Pointing to similar measures in countries such as Britain and US, Mr Donnelly said that it has shown that raising the minimum age has strong evidence associated with a reduction of those smoking between the ages of 16 and 20.

Data from the EU and Britain shows that nearly 40% of smokers become regular smokers between the ages of 18 and 25.

“Our own 2007 increase in the legal age of sale from 16 to 18 found reduced smoking prevalence and a reduction among those aged 14 to 15 in the likelihood of ever having tried a cigarette,” said Mr Donnelly.

The health minister said that the bill has a single purpose and it is to “spare young people a lifetime of addiction and potential illness that comes through smoking cigarettes”, adding that it signals the “beginning of the end of tobacco in our country”.

Tobacco causes approximately 4,500 deaths each year in Ireland.