Sir, – A group of tobacco industry supporters, (Letters, October 14th) is concerned about the introduction of standardised or “plain” packaging in Ireland and present reasons for blocking this health initiative. They refer to there being no established benefit and the usual highlighting of the smuggling issue.
The only reason the tobacco industry does not wish to have standardised packaging introduced is that it will impact on its massive profits, both in Ireland and elsewhere – this, of course, is never stated. It has been shown that young people in particular find the combination of graphic images and plain packaging less attractive than branded packs and it is also well established that by using a multiplicity of anti-tobacco measures, we make the greatest impact on smoking prevalence.
The ongoing presentation of reasons from industry sources for blocking Minister for Health James Reilly’s plain packaging measure runs along similar lines to the arguments presented in Australia last year. These flawed and profit-driven arguments were thankfully ignored by the pro-health Australian government.
The authors of the letter write about the failure of tobacco control measures that have been introduced in Ireland. There is no basis in fact for any such conclusion. In the past decade overall smoking prevalence in Ireland has fallen from almost 30 per cent to 21.7 per cent (December 2012, Office of Tobacco Control) and thankfully fewer young people are starting to smoke. Ireland led the way with the workplace smoking ban and can also be the European leader on the plain packs initative.
The stark fact remains that 5,200 people die in this country each year from the effects of smoking and it is imperative that Mr Reilly and the Government pursue every possible anti-smoking measure to reduce this dreadful statistic. Tobacco is a unique product and demands special measures; one in two people who continue to smoke will die prematurely from smoking-related disease.
All of us in the health sector and anyone who cares for the health of our people should continue to support Mr Reilly in his efforts to introduce standardised packaging of tobacco. – Yours, etc,
Dr ROSS MORGAN,
Chairperson, ASH Ireland &
Consultant Respiratory
Physician,
Ringsend Road,
Dublin 4.