According to a newspaper report in Ireland yesterday, the Irish Government is to consider raising the legal age of sale of tobacco ‘within weeks’:
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly flagged his intention earlier this month to seek government approval to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 as part of a wider strategy to create a tobacco-free generation.
For the record, Forest is firmly against raising the age of sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Our view is that once you’re legally an adult at 18 you should be treated like one, and if you can legally drive a car, join the army, purchase alcohol, and vote, at 18 you should be allowed to buy tobacco too.
That said, we acknowledge that, in the UK, raising the age of sale to 20 or 21 would be better than Rishi Sunak’s generational ban so although we could never support it, it wouldn’t be the worst option.
In Ireland however an incremental ban is not currently on the table so it’s not yet an issue, hence our strongly worded opposition to increasing the age of sale to 21.
To its credit, the Examiner was quick to report our reaction (Pro-smoking (sic) campaigners challenge plan to raise age limit for buying cigarettes) which led to a comment on X by Tom Gleeson, co-founder of the New Nicotine Alliance Ireland, who tweeted:
TBF This is a good policy idea, raising the age gate is a supportable policy as long as non combustible alternatives remain available. If both are included then all we do move the illegal market up an age bracket.
‘Good policy idea’? Be careful what you wish for, Tom. It might benefit ‘non combustible alternatives’ in the short-term, but how long before even reduced risk nicotine products are subject to similar age restrictions in the future?
The tobacco playbook is coming for vaping too. In fact, the process has already started - public vaping bans, increased restrictions on marketing and packaging, excise duty on e-liquids etc - and it will only get worse.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday by the UK Vaping Industry Association - who are understandably indignant that neither they nor any vaping groups have been called to give evidence to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee - it was noted that:
The UKVIA is broadly supportive of the aims of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Of course they are! The UKVIA wants to eradicate smoking and replace it with vaping. But after that? Don’t they realise there is no appeasing government or the ‘public health’ industry?
If government achieves its 2030 smoke free objective in England (which the UKVIA seems to support), does the vaping industry seriously believe that making vaping history won’t be the next logical step?
It can't have gone unnoticed that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes a ban on disposable vapes plus potential restrictions on flavours and packaging.
And this from a 'Conservative' government that was thought to be relatively liberal in its attitude to vaping and only a year ago put vaping (and its Swap to Stop scheme) at the heart of its tobacco control policy.
Does the UKVIA seriously believe things will end there, especially under a Labour government whose shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has promised to ‘come down like a ton of bricks’ on the vaping industry?
Appeasement never works and saying you’re ‘broadly supportive of the aims of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ will not only encourage government to be even more repressive, it is yet another example of smoking being thrown under the bus by vaping advocates who refuse to acknowledge that freedom of choice should apply equally to future generations of adults who want to smoke, vape, or do both.
Instead, by supporting the Government’s goal of a smoke free society by an arbitrary date, the vaping industry is effectively sealing its own long-term fate.
Then again, why would most vaping entrepreneurs care? They’ll have made their money and sold their businesses long before vaping, like smoking, is marginalised, stigmatised, and eradicated.
Update: After the Examiner posted its report on X yesterday, Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan had a little dig at Forest.
Here’s her tweet, highlighting our UK origins, with our response (below). The link, btw, takes you to this post, John Mallon RIP. I hope she reads it.
