Donnelly’s smoking ban ‘just won’t work’
McDowell says he is ‘extremely sceptical’ at plan to raise age limit to buy tobacco
HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly’s vision to ban smoking outright ‘simply won’t work’, according to Senator Michael McDowell.
In an interview with the Irish Mail on Sunday two weeks ago, Mr Donnelly revealed his wish to follow plans in the UK to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, effectively raising the legal age every year. The minister also outlined shortterm plans to raise the smoking age to 21. However, former justice minister Mr McDowell told the Irish
Mail on Sunday he is ‘extremely sceptical that raising the age can be implemented in practice’.
He said: ‘It simply won’t work. How can you stop people bringing cigarettes in from abroad, from England and from other places?
‘If they’re available in shops [for those over the required age], you can’t control who smokes them – you just can’t,’ he added.
The former Progressive Democrats leader also questioned the feasibility of checking customers’ ID as the legal age range continues to rise.
He added: ‘If somebody wants to smoke, you can’t stop them and you won’t stop them getting cigarettes.’
Speaking after introducing the Vaping Bill – which makes it illegal to sell vaping products to under-18s – two weeks ago, Mr Donnelly told the MoS: ‘Currently, it is illegal to purchase cigarettes when you are under the age of 18. I think there’s a very strong public health argument to increase that age. At a minimum you’d look at 21 [but] I think we should be open to going further.’
Mr Donnelly wants to bring in laws similar to those recently proposed by prime minister Rishi Sunak’s government in the UK, whereby the sale of tobacco products would be banned completely to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
Supporters say it could phase out smoking in young people almost completely by 2040.
Mr Donnelly revealed he has asked his officials ‘to prepare some options’ for the legislation needed for his plans. The Fianna Fáil TD said there was ‘potential to move in tandem with the UK, certainly on an all-island basis.’
The UK plan is thought to have been inspired by an identical scheme in New Zealand that was due to come into law in July, but was scrapped by the country’s new National Party-led government six weeks ago.
Any such plan here would likely be similarly divisive and meet with resistance from smokers and critics of ‘nanny state’ policy-making.
Mr Donnelly acknowledged it would be unpopular with many and said there would have to be a ‘public debate’.
The Wicklow TD added: ‘There’s a conflict here because there’s a very reasonable argument, which I have a lot of sympathy with.
‘It says when you’re an adult at 18 you’re free to make informed decisions, which is true, and I would hold that quite dear myself.’
‘If they want to smoke you can’t stop them’
‘At 18 you are free to make informed decisions’
However, he insisted medical advice was in support of his plans to eradicate smoking, and said his own grandmother died from emphysema.
Mr Donnelly added: ‘I was involved in caring for her, as well as many others. We were very, very close and she had smoked every day. I can tell you that dying by emphysema is not pretty.’
The new vaping law, introduced on December 22, makes it an offence to sell vaping products to anyone under the age of 18.
Penalties for breach of the law range from fines of up to €4,000 to up to six months in prison.
Further measures to be introduced this year include banning vaping products from vending machines, and a ban on the advertising of vaping products on public transport or near schools.