Sir, – Perhaps the best news of the year comes from New Zealand, where they have passed a unique law that makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1st, 2009. Many lives will be saved by this bold move.
In 2016, I submitted a petition, “Creating a tobacco-free generation”, to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Petitions. This petition was broadly similar to the New Zealand measures now being introduced, but would have protected anyone born in the new millennium.
In the reply from the Committee declining the petition, I was informed that, “The Department of Health has an action plan for a Tobacco Free Ireland and is constantly making progress in this way”.
The Tobacco Free Ireland (TFI) programme has a target to reduce smoking to less than 5 per cent by 2025. Unfortunately the latest report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, in June 2022, mentions that 18 per cent of the population are still smokers, up from 17 per cent in 2019. These figures would indicate that without drastic speedy action, there is very little chance of reaching the 5 per cent target by 2025.
Perhaps someone in Government could look again at ways whereby we can create a tobacco-free generation in line with the New Zealand initiative. I live in hope. – Yours, etc,
BOBBY CARTY,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.