Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Eoin O'Boyle:

Something I notice is that when a customer who might have quit is with smokers and asks for a pull on a cigarette the overwhelming response is that it is rotten. Once people get their tastebuds back and they get to know the health benefits of vaping, they do not want to smoke. The lady I mentioned in my opening statement suffered from tonsillitis three to four times a year as a result of smoking, and as soon as she started vaping, that went away. She has not had tonsillitis since. She said she would never smoke a cigarette again, that she could not do that. It is overwhelming, especially when you are on the ground and you see it every single day. There is a true difference, health-wise and financially. Not only does it improve your health, but it improves other aspects of your life too. Smokers might not start in a gym or eat as healthily as they could because they think they are already unhealthy due to smoking, but once they start vaping, feel their lung capacity improving and no longer wake up coughing every morning, they start to acknowledge that they could become healthier in other aspects of their life. Every day, I see customers come in with almost a renewed spirit and a new way of looking at life, which is amazing to see.