Ireland's Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced plans to eliminate nicotine pouches from Ireland, describing the products as "particularly invidious" during the 2025 World Conference on Tobacco Control.Speaking to reporters at the Convention Centre Dublin, Carroll MacNeill expressed serious concerns about nicotine pouches that users place inside their lips for nicotine delivery. She emphasized that these products "have the capacity to get very high doses of nicotine to children in very subtle ways, but very, very quickly."MacNeill's strong stance comes as these nicotine pouches currently fall outside existing Irish tobacco and vaping regulations. MacNeill claims this regulatory gap has allowed the products to circulate without proper oversight or restrictions.Education officials have already raised alarms about the pouches' presence in schools. .Paul Crone, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, previously urged the Health Service Executive to issue health advisories. Crone pointed out that students find nicotine pouches much easier to conceal than traditional tobacco products.Irish government plans to address the issue through comprehensive legislation targeting point of sale advertising for both vapes and nicotine pouches. MacNeill explained the goal is to make e-cigarettes, already banned for those under 18, "as unattractive and as boring as possible."Taoiseach Micheal Martin also addressed the conference, describing vaping as "the revenge of Big Tobacco" designed to put nicotine "back on the agenda." Martin promised that significant restrictions coming in February will create substantial impact..MacNeill criticized flavoured products, questioning why coconut or pineapple flavours are necessary. She argued that companies making these products attractive are attempting to "normalise what is essentially an addiction to a drug."MacNeill outlined broader European Union (EU) strategies for addressing nicotine products. She plans to reopen the tobacco directive as a policy objective when Ireland assumes the EU presidency next year.The minister acknowledged challenges with cross-border availability of banned products. ."The world has moved on since that was agreed and it's not just about tobacco, it's about the other nicotine products," said MacNeill. She claimed that when one country bans products, they easily cross borders from other EU member states.This situation requires a coordinated European approach from a public health perspective. Ireland's upcoming EU presidency position provides an opportunity to advance harmonized regulations across member states.The Irish government's comprehensive strategy targets both immediate domestic and longer term European cooperation to address what MacNeill views as a growing public health threat.
