Damian Sweeney

Damian is a former smoker who quit with vaping in 2016 after numerous unsuccessful quit attempts using traditional smoking cessation methods. Shortly after that the TPD came into full effect, Damian got involved in advocacy, contacting local and national politicians to argue against restrictive regulations for vaping products. Damian is the current Chair of the New Nicotine Alliance Ireland, a consumer advocacy association and registered charity which he co-founded in 2019. Later that year NNA Ireland joined ETHRA, an independent umbrella organisation for consumer organisations, as one of its 24 partner associations across Europe. ETHRA has been recognised as a stakeholder by the EU institutions and Damian has taken part in consultations at every stage of the preparations and revisions of the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Excise Directive, as well as numerous public consultations in EU member states. ETHRA continues to advocate for evidence-based risk-proportionate regulations for non-combustible nicotine products.