Smoking and vaping are increasing in Ireland, and cigarette regulators in the country may be discouraged by the new finding. The study entitled: “Increased smoking and e-cigarette use among Irish teenagers: a new threat to Tobacco Free Ireland 2025 is a time bomb. “It suggested that Ireland will not meet its audacious smoke-free goal with the rising smoking trend. Interestingly, the study also claimed that the propagation of e-cigarettes is worsening the situation.
Like other European countries and the United States, Ireland was experiencing a decline in smoking rates among its teenagers. However, the introduction of e-cigarettes, which has been embraced by many teens globally, has increased the propensity to smoke again. Professor Luke Clancy, the study’s lead author and the General Director of Ireland’s Tobacco-Free Research institute, said that although the effects of e-cigarettes are not well known, nicotine found in these products can damage a teenager’s brain. He also aired his concerns that consuming e-cigarettes could lead to a rise in smokers. Is vaping dangerous, and does it lead to smoking?
Conflict data
Unlike the recent study, Healthy Ireland conducted a survey in 2019 that suggested that a rise in vaping rates has no cause for alarm. The survey also showed that the number of people adopting vaping was significantly lower than those who were quitting smoking.
The 2019 survey was based on the Central Statistics Office data. The figures showed that Ireland had approximately 246,000 individuals who vaped an equivalent of 0.05% of the country’s population. The Healthy Ireland survey also suggested that the smoking population had dropped by 6% from 23% to 17% five years before the study. However, those vaping increased by only 2% during the same period. This survey debunks the theory that adopting e-cigarettes propels combustible smoking.
The survey also indicated that 38% of smokers on the program to quit embraced e-cigarettes to help them overcome the addiction and lessen withdrawal symptoms. Over the last few years, interviews were conducted with 7,413 persons in Ireland from age 15 and above, revealing that a quarter of Ireland’s population aged between 25 and 34 have attempted vaping. Still, only 8% of this group are current users.
This data shows that vaping does not necessarily encourage people to smoke. Some smokers have even embraced e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.
