Martin Daly: Ireland Faces a New Nicotine Addiction Epidemic
Martin Daly, TD and doctor, warns that Ireland is at the start of a new nicotine addiction epidemic driven by vaping and novel nicotine products. He outlines rising youth use, health risks, and explains why new legislation is necessary to protect young people.
Scope of the problem
Martin Daly presents recent figures: one in three students has tried vaping, one in six are current users, and 11% of under-25s are regular e-cigarette users. He highlights a near fivefold jump in nicotine pouch sales, from 6 million to 29 million units, and a dramatic rise in revenue concentrated in a single brand.
Health consequences
From his dual perspective as a doctor and TD, Daly details the harms of nicotine: effects on heart rate, blood pressure and adolescent brain development, plus links between vaping and cardiovascular and chronic lung disease. He stresses that vaping is not risk-free and that dual use increases harm.
Product design and marketing
Daly argues these products were engineered to attract young people, with bright colours, sweet flavours and packaging that mimics sweets and toys. He warns that low cost, easy concealment and online promotion have helped uptake among children who never previously smoked.
Legislative response and conclusion
Daly supports the proposed legislation that would ban sales to under-18s, restrict advertising and point-of-sale displays, limit flavours and regulate new products like nicotine pouches. He calls the measures necessary, proportionate and overdue to prevent a new generation from becoming addicted.
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As both a doctor and a TD, I want to be very clear about what we're dealing with here. This is not a minor trend. This is the early stage of a new addiction epidemic. In Ireland today, one in three students has tried vaping and one in six are current users. Amongst the under-25s, 11% are regular e-cigarette users, the highest of any age group. And most worryingly of all, the majority of young people who vape have never smoked previously. So the idea that vaping is simply helping people quit smoking does not hold up in reality. For many young people, it's the starting point. We're also seeing an explosive growth in newer nicotine products. Nicotine pouch sales in Ireland increased almost fivefold in a single year, from 6 million to 29 million units. That represents a 442% increase in revenue, with one brand alone taking nearly half the market. These are not niche products, they are scaling rapidly, largely outside the regulatory framework that governs tobacco. I cannot stress enough that nicotine is not harmless. It raises heart rate and blood pressure. It disrupts brain development in adolescents, affecting concentration, learning, and impulse control. It is linked to anxiety, sleep disturbance, and long-term dependency. And vaping itself is not risk-free. Emerging evidence shows clear associations with cardiovascular disease, chronic lung conditions, and asthma. We are seeing measurable damage to blood vessels and inflammatory responses that we do not fully understand. People who both vape and smoke are at even greater risk. So while vaping may be less harmful than smoking, it is not safe, particularly not for young people. And we also need to be honest about how we got here. This did not happen by accident. Products were deliberately designed to appeal to children, with bright colours, sweet flavours, and packaging that mimics sweets, desserts, and even toys. Research shows that young people recognise this themselves, that vaping products are more appealing than cigarettes because they look and feel like treats. And add to that the lower cost, the easy concealment, and the constant online promotion, and it is no surprise that the uptake is rising. This legislation is a direct response to that reality. It will ban the sale of nicotine products to under-18s, remove advertising and the point-of-sale displays, restrict packaging and imagery, and limit flavours that are clearly designed to attract young users. It also addresses new and emerging products like nicotine pouches, so that we are not constantly trying to play catch-up with the tobacco industry. That matters because one of the biggest mistakes in public health is allowing industry innovation to outpace regulation. And we have seen that previously with tobacco, and we know the consequences. In Ireland today, smoking still kills about 100 people every week and leads to more than 1,000 hospitalisations. Half of all long-term smokers will die from tobacco-related diseases, and we have spent decades trying to reduce those numbers. We cannot allow a new pathway to nicotine addiction to undo that progress. This is not about banning everything, it is about protecting children from products designed to hook them. It is about ensuring that what looks harmless or appealing is not allowed to quietly cause long-term harm. It is about being proactive, not reactive, and I commend you on that, Minister. From both a medical and public policy perspective, this legislation is necessary, proportionate and overdue. I support it fully.
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