Helping smokers quit will save lives: Irish Cancer Society

The Irish Cancer Society says that making nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) more widely available will encourage more people to quit and ultimately save lives.

The Society welcomes the positive remarks from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on making nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) more freely available to smokers who want to quit.

“A recent survey carried out by the Irish Cancer Society found that 81% of smokers plan to give up in the future,” says Kathleen O’Meara, Head of Advocacy & Communications. “Of these smokers, 9 in 10 of them have attempted to do so before.

“Quitting smoking is tough. It’s an addiction. Without the right supports available, the government will not achieve its target of 5% smoking rate by 2025. What is needed is a range of supports including the National Smokers Quitline, NRTs, face-to-face counselling and group support.”

The government spend on cessation services was €13.9 million in 2011.

An analysis carried out by the US Surgeon General has found smoking cessation services to be one of the most cost-effective healthcare treatments and a person using NRT to quit has a 50-70% better chance of success.

“Nicotine patches and gums are expensive,” says Ms O’Meara. “The Society has repeatedly called for the removal of VAT on these products to reduce their cost and make them more readily available to smokers. It was a recommendation in our pre-budget submission this year. In Ireland the VAT on nicotine patches is 23% whereas in Northern Ireland, the rate is at 5%. Reasonable prices would encourage more people to quit.

“The recent move by the Health Products Regulatory Authority to make a leading NRT available in supermarkets as well as pharmacies is a good start, but more needs to be done. The government made commitments on NRT in their policy document Tobacco Free Ireland, including making them available in places where tobacco is sold.”

“Increasing prices is only one part of the jigsaw. The Irish Cancer Society says the Government need to ensure that better supports are available for the 8 in 10 smokers who want to quit.”