A respiratory specialist at Galway University Hospital calls for the price of cigarettes to be increased.
In spite of the dire health warnings, Irish smokers are reluctant to kick the habit, smoking six billion cigarettes per year.
Four out of every five people want to quit smoking according to a recent report. There has been more success for people living in the west than other regions when it comes to stopping smoking.
Over five thousand people die from smoking-related illnesses every year. Dr JJ Gilmartin at the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Galway University Hospital wants to see an increase in cigarette prices. He believes this would,
Discourage young people from starting smoking.
A new nicotine replacement therapy patch designed to help people stop smoking was launched this evening. Galway pharmacist Matt O'Flaherty is concerned with the rise in the number of young women smoking in recent years.
Dr Gilmartin agrees that this is a worrying trend, and the detrimental health effects can be seen,
An increasing number of lung cancer in relatively young women.
Two smokers who spoke to RTÉ News say they have no immediate plans to stop.
I’m always told to give them up...but I can’t.
It’s a good idea to give up the cigarettes, but I just like smoking.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 February 1993. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
