Minister for Health welcomes ban on tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products from self-service and vending machines

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has welcomed the upcoming ban on the sale of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products by self-service and vending machines. This move is part of a series of measures included in the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023.

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:

"From Monday, September 29th, there will be a ban on purchasing tobacco, cigarettes

or vapes from vending machines or any type of self-service. This necessary change will reduce the availability of tobacco products. Sometimes children have been able to access these harmful products, this is unacceptable, and this ban will ensure that this can no longer happen.

"This is another significant milestone in implementing our national tobacco control policy. The ban aligns with our broader public health strategy to reduce and prevent tobacco and nicotine use in society and ultimately save lives."

Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor said:

"Protecting the health of our young people is at the heart of this legislation. We are cutting off an avenue of easy access that has been shown to contribute to early experimentation and long-term addiction. The health of our children comes first, and prevention remains one of our most powerful tools for building a healthier Ireland."

Catherine Cosgrove, HSE Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer said:

"The HSE’s National Environmental Health Service welcomes the implementation of this legislation. To prepare for this we communicated with business representative groups working in this area and made them aware of the new legislation and what it means for their members. Environmental Health Officers are fully committed to the protection of public health through the enforcement of tobacco control legislation. Our staff will conduct inspections nationally to monitor compliance and will follow up appropriately on any breaches.’"

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Notes

This measure forms part of Ireland’s wider tobacco and nicotine control programme, which seeks to reduce smoking prevalence in Ireland to under 5% and to progressively eliminate tobacco-related harm in line with the government’s Tobacco Endgame commitments.

Article 13 of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Ireland is a Party, requires a comprehensive ban of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. The guidance on the implementation of Article 13 clarifies that vending machines constitute, by their very presence, a means of advertising or promotion.

Two thirds of Parties to the WHO Convention have already banned the sales of tobacco products from vending machines. Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland introduced the ban over 10 years ago.

In March 2024, the Minister for Health commenced further sections of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 which strengthen the protection of children from tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products. These provisions will ban the sale of these products at events aimed at children and prohibit advertising for nicotine inhaling products around cinema films for children, on public service vehicles and at stops or stations and within 200 metres of a school.