It was announced today that a new law on cigarettes and tobacco would be coming into effect in Ireland.
From September 30, tobacco products will be sold in plain, standardised packaging in a bid to reduce the numbers of people smoking in Ireland.
It's thought the new measures will make smoking less attractive, with more graphic health warnings and not allow people to be mislead over the dangers associated with smoking.
- All forms of branding, including trademarks and colours, are to be removed from tobacco packs
- The brand and variant names will be presented in small print
- The packs will all be in one plain neutral colour.
Speaking on the new law, Minister for Health Simon Harris said: “Smoking is a significant cause of ill-health in Ireland. Almost 6,000 people die from tobacco related disease and tobacco use.
"That is 6,000 families who go through the pain of losing a loved one when the stark reality is that these deaths are unnecessary and avoidable. It has been estimated to cost Irish society a total of €10.7 billion annually in healthcare, productivity and other costs."
While the new law will come into force on September 30 this year, shops and suppliers will be given one year to adjust and get rid of stock meaning that by September 2018, all tobacco products will be in plain packaging.
According to Health Service Executive figures taken in 2014, in Ireland about 19.5% of the population would classify themselves as smokers.
It breaks down at 54.1% of smokers being male and 45.1% being female with an average of 12.71 cigarettes being smoked each day.
HSE figures show that in 2014, Ireland's death rates from smoking related diseases was 9% higher than the European average.
