As Westminster and Dublin compete with performative new tobacco bans, smokers on the island of Ireland will be forced to dodge between jurisdictions and shifting laws just to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Starting in February 2028, adults under the age of 21 in the Republic of Ireland will be barred from buying tobacco at home but will still be able to nip across the border to stock up in Northern Ireland. But once the UK’s generational smoking ban begins, the farcical cross-border relay will reverse, with 22-year-olds banned from buying tobacco in Belfast still free to do so in Dublin.
As the years go by, the legal absurdity only deepens. A 43-year-old won’t be able to buy a pack of cigarettes in Enniskillen legally, but a 44-year-old will – while just down the road in Donegal, both can freely.
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