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THE VINTNER’S FEDERATION of Ireland has raised concerns that rural communities will be worst affected by a ban on the sale of cigarettes from vending machines – many of which are located in pubs.
Cabinet has approved a draft Public Health (tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, which would introduce a range of measures to discourage smoking, and prevent the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
One measure on the list will see an end to the sale of tobacco products through vending machines but the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland said removing the machines from pubs would have a negative effect on people living in rural areas.
“Principally, there is a concern around local communities, rural communities, that wouldn’t have access to many shops and might use pubs to buy cigarettes,” a spokesperson said.
“With this proposed legislation, it will do away with the selling of cigarettes in these vending machines. It is a service. There is no margin or profit for publicans.
“The vending machines are installed by independent companies. Pubs don’t make any money selling cigarettes.”
The legislation, the spokesperson said, would deprive people of a service.
The Irish Cigarette Machine Operators Association previously said it would consider legal action against the proposal legislation. The spokesperson for the VFI said that they were looking at the legislation but not considering any legal action.
E-cigarettes
This evening, Health Minister Simon Harris said: “Tobacco costs the Irish exchequer a total of €10.6 billion every year and 6,000 deaths a year are caused by smoking.
“I am determined to continue to make the necessary legislative changes to confront this challenge and help reach our goal of being tobacco free.”
Other measures included in the bill involve prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to person under 18 years of age, prohibiting the sale of these products by people under 18 years old, prohibiting them being sold at events intended for under 18-year-olds, and the introduction of penalties for those who breach this.
The Irish Cancer Society welcomed the proposed legislation on regulating the sale of e-cigarettes but warned there was more work to be done in the area.
“We’re pleased that Government is acting to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to children, but far more needs to be done to prevent an explosion in childhood nicotine addiction,” CEO Averil Power said.
“We also need to see an extension of tobacco advertising restrictions to e-cigarettes, along with a ban on e-cigarette flavouring.
“We must act quickly to protect children’s health. In the United States, youth e-cigarette addiction has been described as an epidemic and we need to respond to ensure this isn’t replicated in Ireland.
“Already, we know that about one in four 15 to 17-year-olds in Ireland have tried e-cigarettes at least once, with six in 10 saying they tried them out of curiosity.”
With reporting from Dominic McGrath
Ban the fecken things outright they’ve killed so many people it’s not even funny. If they were invented today and brought out as a product tomorrow they’d be banned instantly
We need to stop messing about and just finally deal with them for the problem they are.
@Barry Somers: to many powerful people involved
@Daniel Wilson: like the tax man :(
@Barry Somers: so does alcohol, so they should ban it.
@Barry Somers: why stop there Barry, how about alcohol or fast food? As a matter of fact any food with a fat content above 2%, after all heart disease kills a lot of people as well, and if we are all about banning things that people do because it could kill them, how about we make boxing, motorsport or rock climbing illegal, in fact any activity that could result in personal injury. We have made smoking illegal around other people, quite rightly too, but to ban it outright when we have made such strides over the last few years about personal choice and equal rights is to much IMO. Having said that, minimum pricing of €2 per cigarette (40 quid a packet) and massive fines for illegal cigarette import selling with all proceeds going to the HSE is just deserts for anyone stupid enough to smoke
@Barry Somers: yup. The things should be illegal.. if only for the smell of the things.
@Barry Somers: And sure we’ll ban food too while we’re at it, cos you like food. Idiot
@Peter Cavey: one man’s meat is another man’s poison
@Devilsavocado: Fat is necessary and alcohol has some benefits. Smoking is only bad for you. We’ve banned plenty of harmful things like several drugs and driving over certain speeds. He’s not the first person to suggest making laws to stop people doing bad things. You have to wonder if someone stupid enough to smoke is really compos mentis, so is it really a matter of personal choice if the person doesn’t have the capacity to make reasoned decisions?
Arragh….will ye cop on to yourselves
Remember those fag machines where you put your coins in and the wooden drawer opens so you can slide out your pack of delights, if they bring those back I’d start smoking, with a zippo lighter…the old days were cool, we’re getting all clinical lately.
@Pat Corrigan: and the change secured in the cellophane in the packet, when machines rounded up !
No it won’t, publicans will just sell them over the counter like they used to in the 80s and 90s. This is just scare mongering.
@Mairtin Antaine O Conaill: ehh they still do! But under the counter as they can’t advertise..
Thought we joined the European Union?
Spain 20 cigs €3
Ireland 20 cigs €16
Why the fup we sign up to that?
I think Irish smokers are treated like muck, compared to our European counterparts. Its bullying, pure and simple
@BatMon: I am against smoking but you are right and the high prices are driving smokers to buy contraband ones by the thousand
@BatMon: it’s not that the cigarettes cost is high, the taxation on cigarettes is high.
@BatMon: move to Spain then
@BatMon: the price of cigarettes has nothing to do with the European Union.
I don’t mind if they ban these, but only if they bring in a vending machine that sells stuff to fill your dry herb vapouriser with
Can a pub sell them from behind the bar if not on display? Like in a shop. Is this law only in relation to vending machines?
if chupa chups were carcinogenic they wpuld be banned immediately dirty filthy smokers manky litterbugs every one
@Liam Meade: what a sap
@BatMon: He speaks the truth. I constantly see drivers flicking their cigarette butts out if their car windows and the streets are full of butts. So it’s fair to say that the vast majority of smokers are litter bugs.
€10.6 billion annual cost to the state by smokers is outrageous for population size.. can’t be accurate. What is the tax take for tobacco ? Also 6k deaths per year as sorry as they are saves a lot in pensions.. not trying to be funny but looks like numbers are being manipulated to present a narrative. Tobacco free would be great but give us the proper numbers.. I’d prefer it was banned entirely if the state could afford it.
@Patrick Devereau: oh right so you know better than the minister. Did you even fact check it yourself yet?
Pubs don’t make any money out of these vending machines. Why do they have them so and is it any wonder then that they are struggling and going out of business. Next thing they’ll be saying they don’t make any money from the vending machines selling flavoured johnnies in the jax!
@Sean: they get commission on them, they are not going to have a cigarette machine if it doesn’t benefit the pub in some way
@Louise Farrelly: zero commission
@Sean: prevents a smoker from having to leave the pub cigs when they run out
@Sean: you go in to buy cigs cause the shop is closed, 3 hours and 10 pints later your stumbling home when you remember.. You forgot to get the cigs from the vending machine,
Them machines bring customers into pubs so they will suffer from them being banned, they should be allowed get a tobacco licence and sell b&h in pubs down the country and jpb in dublin
@Louise Farrelly: they only get roughly €120 a year and that’s for ESB etc,ask any bar manager they’ll give same reply,they make nothing outa cigarettes sweet nada!
Double the Proce and that will solve a lot of the problems
@pat seery: theyve done that over and over sap
Good. Drink at home if that’s your thing.
Ban the weed totally. Lots of the stuff being smoked is smuggled, contaminated with booster chemicals, & sustaining a criminal structure.
If it’s not legally available at all, then anyone smoking is clearly involved in criminality.
It’s the choice of the individual. Step off over inflated government.
This is more whinging, cigarettes should not be sold in pubs or in Grocery shops at all. No point in driving the price of fags to 13 euro , that will not stop them smoking, I saw a man paying 64 euro for flags in a shop a few days ago. That is an outrage , I believe. Ban the sale of fags I say.
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