Give up smoking once and for all, says Health Minister

From February 1, it will be an offence to smoke in enclosed private vehicles where children are present, when there is more than one person in the vehicle, and will also be an offence for a driver to fail to prevent others smoking in his vehicle if children are present.

A series of TV, radio, outdoor and digital advertising will launch on January 10 highlighting the new law.

Minister Swann said: “It’s important that smokers are aware of the new regulations and realise that if you smoke in a car while a child is there, or if you’re the driver and you allow someone to smoke in these circumstances, you will be committing an offence which carries a hefty penalty.

“This change in the law is widely supported by the public, charities and the Northern Ireland Assembly, and with good reason: smoking kills thousands of people in Northern Ireland every year and exposure to second hand smoke damages the health of your loved ones, particularly children. I would encourage smokers to think of this further change in the law as the motivation to give up smoking once and for all.”

In addition, from February 1, it will also be an offence to sell nicotine inhaling products, including e-cigarettes or vapes to children, and the purchase of them on behalf of children, can lead to significant penalties and, for repeated offences, retailers can be banned from selling such products for up to three years.

The Minister said: “Nicotine is highly addictive and, according to the World Health Organisation, exposure to nicotine whilst still in adolescence can lead to long-term consequences for brain development. In addition to the potential long-term health implications of nicotine vaping by teenagers, there are also concerns that the use of such products may act as a gateway into smoking.

“We must do all we can to protect the health of our children and young people so I am very pleased to see the introduction of these new regulations on the sale of nicotine inhaling products.”