'We need to ban the product entirely'- Irish smokers give their take on UK smoking ban
Sharon and Gary were smoking 40 cigarettes a day at their peak. They give their take on UK smoking ban for people born before 2009
The UK has recently approved a ban on children aged 17 and under from buying cigarettes and vape products during their lifetime.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to stop anyone born after 1 January, 2009 (now aged 17) from taking up smoking.
Kieran Cuddihy on Liveline has spoken to people in Ireland on the ban to see how they feel about the decision from the UK.
Sharon Sullivan told Kieran that she smoked cigarettes for 31 years and gave them up ten years ago.
"I got very sick and ended up in hospital on oxygen, I couldn't breath," Sharon said on Liveline. "I was kept in hospital for nearly a week and they told me that if I continued to smoke within a year I would be on oxygen support for 24/7 so I said no way was I going to go around with a tank of oxygen hanging out of me".
Sharon was smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day. "In the morning I could have four or five one after the other. It was just non stop".
Sharon said trying to quit coming out of the hospital was "horrendous". "The first week I did actually think I was going to die without having a fag, I just found it so so hard".
Sharon then went on to vape for the next ten years as a substitute for smoking cigarettes.
The woman said that she would hate to see younger kids smoking. She started at 19 years old and said it was the biggest mistake of her life to start.
She did however say that adults who are 18 and above should have the right to choice whether they want to smoke or not.
Sharon's health has been "brilliant" since she quit smoking with no trips to the hospital since, she said on Liveline.
A man named Gary English also spoke on Liveline about his take on the matter as a person who smokes on average six cigarettes a day.
"I was smoking 40 a day, I started at 12 and I finished at 59 smoking 40 a day and I was off them for 2 years. I was fed up smoking.
"From the day I started I wanted to give them up but because they are so addictive it is virtually impossible to give them up on your own".
Gary was told during a hospital visit that he had to lose weight and give up smoking. A nurse helped him give up for two years but started smoking again to six a days.
He plans on giving up smoking by May 5th, after the bank holiday weekend!
"If you really want to stop smoking we need to ban the product entirely," Gary said.
He said that people could still have access to smoking products like if a family member is smoking at home he would have access to cigarettes.