Funding Urgently Needed to Address Youth Vaping Crisis in Ireland
With the rise of vaping among teenagers in Ireland, the need for dedicated resources to help young people quit this dangerous habit has never been more pressing. The Irish Heart Foundation has called for the establishment of a quit vaping service to provide essential support for thousands of teenagers at risk of lifelong nicotine addiction.
In its pre-Budget submission, the charity emphasized the importance of offering specialized assistance to help young people break free from one of the most addictive substances on the planet. The Irish Heart Foundation’s Director of Advocacy, Chris Macey, stressed the urgency of the situation, stating that failing to provide adequate support would be akin to abandoning vulnerable teenagers to the perils of long-term addiction.
One of the key proposals put forward by the Irish Heart Foundation is to increase the price of cigarettes to €20 per pack and implement new taxes on vapes to deter young people from starting to use them. These measures aim to address the growing prevalence of vaping among youth and its potential to lead to smoking, which remains a major cause of preventable death in Ireland.
The need for a dedicated quit vaping service is underscored by the increasing demand for support from young people looking to break free from their addiction. The HSE has reported receiving numerous calls from individuals seeking help to quit vaping, highlighting the urgent need for resources to be allocated to address this issue effectively.
According to data from the youth information and support platform, Spunout, the search query “how to quit vaping?” is one of the biggest drivers of traffic to their webpage on the health effects of smoking and vaping. This indicates a strong interest among young people in finding ways to overcome their addiction to vaping and underscores the importance of providing targeted support to help them achieve this goal.
The Irish Heart Foundation has also highlighted the success of a US program called ‘This is Quitting’, which has assisted over 750,000 young vapers in breaking free from their addiction. The effectiveness of such programs in helping young people quit vaping demonstrates the potential impact that dedicated resources and support can have on reducing the prevalence of this harmful habit among teenagers.
Vaping has been linked to a range of negative health effects, including impacts on teenage brain development, damage to blood vessels, high blood pressure, changes in heart rhythm, and respiratory issues. Moreover, research has shown that vaping can serve as a gateway to smoking, further increasing the risk of tobacco-related diseases and premature death among young people.
To address the youth vaping crisis in Ireland, the Irish Heart Foundation has called for a budget allocation of over €1 million to develop a vaping prevention information campaign and a research program to inform the development of a vaping cessation program. Additionally, the Foundation is advocating for a €3.25 increase in the price of cigarettes to bring the cost to €20 per pack, as part of efforts to reduce smoking rates and protect young people from the harms of tobacco use.
Despite the significant revenue generated from tobacco taxes, the resources allocated to anti-smoking measures remain disproportionately low compared to the funds collected. It is crucial for the government to prioritize funding for smoking cessation programs and vaping prevention initiatives to effectively address the public health challenges posed by nicotine addiction among young people.
In conclusion, the youth vaping crisis in Ireland requires urgent action to provide young people with the support they need to quit this harmful habit. By investing in dedicated resources, such as a quit vaping service and prevention programs, we can help thousands of teenagers break free from lifelong addiction and protect their health and well-being for the future.
