Tobacco and Vaping

Tobacco and Nicotine products

Tobacco use is associated with a wide range of health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases, and many other conditions. New forms of tobacco and nicotine products that are also harmful to health have come to market in recent years.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 8 million people die from tobacco use every year, with a further 1.2 million deaths annually from second-hand smoke.

Why are tobacco and nicotine products a public health issue?

Ireland and Northern Ireland are continuing to experience an epidemic of tobacco-related disease, disability and death. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths and preventable cancers across the island of Ireland, contributing to around 5,000 deaths in Ireland and 2,300 deaths in Northern Ireland every year.

Tobacco use not only harms the health of people who smoke, but also has significant negative effects on the health of non-users through exposure to second-hand smoke. There are also significant economic costs associated with tobacco use, including healthcare costs, lost productivity, and reduced quality of life.

The burden of tobacco-related harm falls disproportionately on certain vulnerable groups within the population, notably children, people living in social disadvantage, men and people with mental ill-health.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) contain tobacco, which produce aerosols containing nicotine and toxic chemicals once the tobacco is heated or the device is activated.

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, more commonly known as vapes, are the most common form of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS).

Evidence suggests that these new forms of tobacco and nicotine products are harmful to health.

Support Services

If you, or a loved one, require help to quit smoking, the following support and information is available:

Ireland: Quit.ie
Northern Ireland: - Stop Smoking NI

Key Facts: Tobacco

Tobacco use among adults (16 yrs+)

Ireland: 18% of adults reported smoking (2022)

Northern Ireland: 17% of adults reported smoking (2021/22)

Ireland: Policy, Strategy, Legislation

Since becoming the first country in the world to ban smoking in public places in 2004, Ireland has committed to becoming Tobacco Free.

Tobacco Free Ireland Policy 2013-2025

Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025

Health Service Executive Tobacco Free Ireland Programme

Northern Ireland: Policy, Strategy, Legislation

In Northern Ireland, the following policies, strategies and legislation are in place to address tobacco-related harms.

10 Year Tobacco Control Strategy for Northern Ireland (2012-2022)

Mid Term Review Tobacco Control Strategy

IPH evidence review for mid-term review of 10 Year Tobacco Control Strategy

Recent work on tobacco and nicotine products

IPH uses new and emerging evidence and data to develop policy briefs and submissions that will inform public policy on tobacco control and the regulation of nicotine products in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Recent examples of our work include giving evidence to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health on the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019, contributing to a report by the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Policy Group on raising the minimum age of sale of tobacco from 18 to 21 years, and developing Tobacco 21 Mythbusters to debunk some of the myths that persist around tobacco.

Building on previous work in Northern Ireland, the Institute supported elements of the End of Term Review of the 10 Year Tobacco Control Strategy, including a stakeholder engagement report, and outputs focussed on second-hand smoke and mental health, which can be found here.

Read a 2023 summary of our work and activity on tobacco and nicotine products here.

Latest Tobacco and Nicotine products Resources

Tobacco and Nicotine products

Tobacco

Blog: Tobacco Endgame – One step closer on the island of Ireland?

31 May, 2024 - In this blog for World No Tobacco Day, Louise O’Connor from IPH's policy team discusses the recently proposed changes to tobacco control legislation in…

Tobacco and Nicotine products

Vaping

Report: A review of systematic reviews on the health effects of vaping in children and adolescents

20 May, 2024 - A review of systematic reviews on the health effects of vaping in children and adolescentsVaping among children and young people is rising in Northern Ireland. This review was carried out by the…

Children and Young People Tobacco and Nicotine products

Tobacco use and mental health

Easy Read: Smoking and Mental Health – An exploration of data in Northern Ireland and scan of policy approaches in the UK and Ireland

News Plain language summary Reports

13 Mar, 2024 - This Easy Read publication summarises the findings from a recent report published by IPH that examined the relationship between mental health and smoking in Northern Ireland. The report found that…

Mental Health Tobacco and Nicotine products

Tobacco and vaping

Blog: How Ireland can further regulate tobacco and nicotine inhaling products and progress tobacco endgame targets

30 Jan, 2024 - In this blog, Louise O’Connor, a senior research assistant at the Institute of Public Health, discusses what measures could be introduced to decrease the appeal of nicotine inhaling products to…

Tobacco and Nicotine products