Following the United Kingdom’s passage of a generational tobacco ban, a law that bans anyone born after 2008 from ever legally purchasing tobacco products, proposals have popped up in other countries.
Ireland appears to be the latest one.
Mark Wall, an Irish TD, asked if the Irish Ministry of Health was looking at a proposal.
In response, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD, who is the Irish Minister of Health, replied:
Tobacco is a uniquely lethal product when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer. It kills almost 100 people and causes over 1000 hospitalisations every week in Ireland. There is no age at which it becomes safe to consume tobacco.
Our national tobacco control policy, Tobacco Free Ireland, is currently being reviewed. One of the central goals will be to set out a pathway to end the epidemic of tobacco-related harm in Ireland. My officials and I are considering all measures to fulfill this objective, including a generational ban.
No other information has been given.
Separately, Cigar Rights of America (CRA)—an industry trade group—has warned that a similar proposal may be coming to France.
France’s national health insurance fund, the l’assurance maladie, recently made a recommendation to ban anyone born after 2009 from legally purchasing tobacco products. The CRA report notes that this hasn’t yet spurred new legislation, but that this could lead to a revival of a proposal from Les Verts, France’s Green Party, that would have banned anyone born Jan. 1, 2014 or later from purchasing tobacco products.
Proponents of generational tobacco bans say that by banning anyone born after a certain age from legally purchasing a product, it will create tobacco-free, or nicotine-free, generations. They would only apply to sales in the specific jurisdiction, meaning that U.K. citizens who are affected by the ban will still be able to legally purchase tobacco products abroad.
While generational tobacco ban proposals have become more common, only a few countries have actually approved them as law. In addition to the U.K., New Zealand implemented one in January 2023, but it was repealed in March 2024. Last year, the Maldives enacted a generational tobacco ban.
Overall Score
France
Generational Tobacco Ban
Ireland
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
tobacco purchasing age
