The Department of Health has said that progress has been made towards making the country tobacco-free by 2025, reports JOE.

Tobacco Free Ireland, the country’s national tobacco control policy, first published its action plan to make Ireland tobacco-free by 2025 in March 2015. This would mean a less than 5 per cent smoking prevalence in the country. Tobacco Free Ireland gives an annual update on the plan’s ongoing implementation and according to the latest report for 2020, progress has been made towards achieving the tobacco-free goal, reports JOE.
The outlines of the plan include information on the dangers of tobacco use aimed at first-year students, the launch of a new QUIT marketing campaign, the completion by the Health Research Board of three comprehensive evidence reviews on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products and a further increase of 50 per cent on a packet of cigarettes.
"By working to remove smoking from daily life in Ireland and educating young people on the dangers of tobacco, while making cessation assistance as widely available as possible, we can continue to build on the promising results we have seen in recent years," Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said.