Government publishes plan to make Ireland tobacco free by 2025

The Government have published the 2019 Tobacco Free Ireland Report which outlines proposals to make the country tobacco-free by 2025.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Minister of State for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy Frank Feighan have welcomed the publication of the report which sets a target for Ireland to be tobacco free by 2025. In practice, this means that the country will have a smoking prevalence rate of less than 5%.

Minister Donnelly and Minister Feighan welcome the publication of the 2019 Tobacco Free Ireland Annual Report, Ireland’s national tobacco control policy with a target for Ireland to be tobacco free (have a smoking prevalence rate of less than 5%) by 2025: https://t.co/y1H64mxStx

— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) November 24, 2020

Launched under the Healthy Ireland Framework, the two key themes of the policy are the protection of children and the denormalisation of smoking. In the report, a number of key achievements in 2019 were noted, including:

• Receiving approval from Government to draft a Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill to further advance Tobacco Free Ireland recommendations.
• The inclusion of a question on smoking in the 2021 Census, so that the detailed information gathered can contribute to the evidence base for current and future tobacco control policy
• Continued progress on a number of Smoke Free Campus Initiatives, including the launch of Sports Ireland’s Smoke Free Campus, prohibiting smoking outside of all campus buildings.
• Proactive involvement in ensuring the Public Private Partnership between the International Labour Organisation and tobacco industry were not renewed.
• The increase in price and minimum excise duty on tobacco products in Budget 2020.
• Continued preparation for the World Conference on Tobacco or Health, for which Dublin was selected as host

The 2019 Tobacco Free Ireland Report can be read in its entirety here.

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