The Minister for Health has announced tough new measures to control the sale and advertising of tobacco, especially to young people. At the publication of a new departmental report on tobacco policy, the Minister said that he intends to outlaw the sale of cigarettes to under-18s, and to ban packet sizes of less than 20 cigarettes. Mícheal Martin also accused the tobacco industry of cynically marketing cigarettes.
On the eve of Ash Wednesday, the day that the majority of smokers try to give up, the Minister for Health announced a new attack on tobacco. Launching the report of the Tobacco Free Policy Review Group, which examined the impact of tobacco on public health, the Minister announced the establishment of an Office of Tobacco Control, to ensure greater compliance of existing legislation.
He also announced new control measures and highlighted the fact that smoking has become a childhood addiction. On the day that a National Youth Council survey showed that more teenagers than adults smoke, the Minister said that new measures will particularly target young people. Ads and sponsorship of tobacco products will be banned from next July, and health boards will receive more resources to implement tobacco-free initiatives.
He also promised greater supporters for people trying to quit smoking. He said that nicotine was a powerful addictive chemical, and the tobacco industry had used psychology in a cynical way to market cigarettes. The new attitude was welcomed by the chairman of ASH, Dr Fenton Howell. He said that they represented a new departure for tobacco policy.
