On 29 March 2004 the Irish government introduced the ground breaking Public Health (Tobacco) Act banning smoking in all workplaces including offices, bars and restaurants. Ireland became the first country in the world to remove ashtrays from work desks as well as pub and restaurant tables. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over one quarter of the world’s population – 74 nations – now live in countries with complete smoking bans in indoor public places, workplaces and public transport.
The primary objective was clear: to safeguard the health of workers and the public from secondhand smoke. Two decades on, Smoking rates have reduced considerably thanks to the investment in mass media campaigns, stop smoking services and more recently the introduction of free stop smoking medication.
According to Martina Blake, the HSE’s lead for the HSE Health & Wellbeing Tobacco-Free Ireland programme, “The ban didn’t just change laws; it changed hearts and minds, fostering a cultural shift towards tobacco-free living. Today, smoke-free environments are the norm rather than the exception, a testament to the ban’s enduring legacy. The HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme carried out a public opinion survey to ascertain views on Tobacco Endgame policies in Ireland with majority public support (50% or greater) for the proposed policies. These proposals included the phasing out of tobacco sales to children, reducing nicotine in tobacco to make it less addictive and requiring tobacco companies to pay the state for the health costs due to the harm caused by tobacco products.”
On the 20th anniversary Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said “I am proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the workplace smoking ban. It was a landmark and courageous public health initiative that has saved lives. My Department continues to introduce evidence-based policy measures to reduce the considerable health impact of an addiction that has the most detrimental impact on the health of our population. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug.”
He also said that he will be recommending to Government that the legal age to buy tobacco should be increased as it is currently too easy for minors to obtain products. The legal age for buying cigarettes in Ireland could increase from 18 to 21 under new plans being considered by Government.
Fines for breaking the smoking ban are set at €3,000 and the HSE National Environmental Health Service continues to enforce these measures. A key aspect of their work today is in relation to the sale of tobacco to minors. The HSE undertakes compliance checks, also known as test purchases, in retail outlets to determine if retailers will sell tobacco products to minors. This has helped to contribute to a reduction of smoking rates among children, reducing from 19% in 2004 to 5% today.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said, “Friday 29th March marked twenty years since the introduction of the workplace smoking ban – one of the most important and memorable days in my political career. While it was viewed as a controversial measure at the time and faced stiff opposition, the positive impact that the smoking ban has had on public health in Ireland is clear. Over the past two decades, smoking rates have reduced significantly – particularly among children. Hundreds of thousands of people have given up smoking since 2004.”
“We have continued to push ahead with measures to combat smoking because, simply, there is nothing good about this habit. It is addictive, it is lethal and I have yet to meet a smoker who is happy that they started.”
“Twenty years on from the introduction of the smoking ban, we now face new, worrying challenges posed by vaping. Minister Donnelly has taken important steps to ban the sale of vapes to children and is examining further measures to address these challenges.”
“As we mark this anniversary, we remain focused on measures that put the health of our population first, that protect future generations and that will bring closer to our goal of a tobacco-free Ireland.”
