Statement – Minister McGrath’s remarks in relation to smoking

The Irish Cancer Society wishes to record its concern at Minister of State Finian McGrath’s comments first published in the Sunday Business Post on the smoking ban and excise duty levied on tobacco products.

The Minister’s remarks are unhelpful and irresponsible, at a time when we are striving to make Ireland tobacco free by 2025.

The smoking ban and increases in excise duty are effective public health measures that save lives.

In the ten years following the introduction of the smoking ban in 2004, there were almost 4,000 fewer smoking related deaths than would have been expected had the ban not been introduced.

Any roll back of the smoking ban would be a retrograde step. Second-hand smoke causes cancer. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals and over 70 carcinogens and is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Class 1 carcinogen, placing it in the same category as plutonium and asbestos.

The Irish state has led the way in tobacco control measures, showing courage in tackling smoking rates and the tobacco industry. In the twelve years since the introduction of the smoking ban, rates of smoking have dropped from 30% to less than 20%. This is not a coincidence.

Increases in excise duty have also made a significant contribution to this decrease. According to the World Health Organisation, increasing the retail price of tobacco products through higher taxes is the single most effective way to decrease consumption and encourage tobacco users to quit. On average, a 10% price increase on a pack of cigarettes is expected to reduce demand for cigarettes by about 4% in high-income countries, like Ireland.

The ‘Tobacco Free Ireland - Report of the Tobacco Policy Review Group’ recommended continued increases in excise duty on tobacco, compliance with and enforcement of all provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2002, while the Government has committed in its Programme for Government to “higher excise duties on cigarettes” and to make Ireland tobacco free by 2025.

We expect Minister McGrath will fully support his Government’s commitments in this regard and will not impede or obstruct public health measures proven to save lives.

The Irish Cancer Society knows the impact smoking has not just on families, but on the whole of society. Half of all smokers die from smoking related diseases. One in five people who died in Ireland last year were as a result of smoking.

A recent Department of Health report shows that in 2015, 81,430 days in hospital beds were given over to cancers caused by smoking, while 6,350 inpatient admissions were patients with cancers caused by smoking. Meanwhile, the loss of welfare from morbidity related to smoking and premature mortality were estimated at €1.5 billion and €8 billion respectively.

Per year smoking costs:

• €506 million to the healthcare system
• Over €1 billion in lost productivity
• €6 million in damage from fires caused by smoking materials (€3.9m due to fires and €2m due to loss of life as a result of fires)

We are happy to meet with the Minister to discuss the issues he has raised further.

We encourage smokers who want to quit smoking to seek help from the support services that are available. We know that quitting smoking is a difficult process so we strongly encourage smokers to call the National Smokers Quitline on 1800 201 203 to get help and advice on how to quit.

For those more comfortable with online support, excellent resources are available on www.quit.ie. Quitting smoking is one of the most important ways a person can improve their health and the Irish Cancer Society supports smokers every step of the way.

Smokers need comprehensive and targeted supports to become part of the 28% of the population who are now ex-smokers in Ireland. The Healthy Ireland Survey results published last year show that 63% of smokers want to quit, but we need to help them to do so.