CALLS HAVE BEEN made for the government to introduce tobacco-free generation legislation which will prohibit the sale of tobacco products to people born after a specified year.
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) has claimed such a measure is necessary for what it calls “tobacco endgame,” while it has also recommended that the price of a packet of 20 cigarettes should be raised to over €20.
The Maldives became the first country in the world to enact tobacco-free generation legislation last year when it introduced a law which prohibits anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from being sold tobacco products.
The RCPI said momentum for such legislation was building internationally with the UK planning to bring in similar laws from 2027.
It also claims a new national policy on tobacco due to be published by the government later this year will be “a critical moment for political leadership.”
“Effective leadership must confront interference from the tobacco industry whose business model relies on sustaining high levels of cigarette sales, including over 100 million packs sold annually in Ireland,” it observed.
The RCPI has recommended a strengthening of interference safeguards, given what it claims is the persistent lobbying of politicians by tobacco and vaping companies.
It also called for litigation or levy-based mechanisms to be pursued to recover healthcare costs from the tobacco industry, with any funds reinvested in smoking cessation services and supporting retailers transitioning away from dependence on sales of tobacco products.
“The knowledge and tools to end the tobacco-harm epidemic already exist. What is now required is political leadership and resolve to act decisively,” said John Gannon of the RCPI’s clinical advisory group on smoking and e-cigarettes.
In an article published in the Irish Medical Journal, the group claims the government in its role of protecting the public must move to a tobacco endgame to transform the focus from simply managing the harm caused by tobacco products to eliminating it completely.
The group noted that tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Ireland, claiming over 4,500 lives annually.
“This slow-moving, large-scale epidemic remains Ireland’s greatest health challenge,” said Dr Gannon.
He said the tobacco-harm epidemic is “entirely avoidable and wholly driven by a highly addictive commercial product that uniquely kills one-in-two long-term consumers when used exactly as intended by the tobacco industry.”
The group claims the framing of tobacco products as an unavoidable feature of modern life is no longer justified and must change.
Dr Gannon expressed concern that smoking prevalence reductions have stalled after decades of progress with nearly 1 in 5 adults still smoking, despite the government’s target that the smoking rate would be less than 5% by 2025.
The RCPI claims action is also needed to reduce affordability, attractiveness, addictiveness and the availability of tobacco products.
The group argues there are proven measures available for the government to adopt, with taxation being the single most effective intervention to reduce smoking rates.
It believes increasing the price of a standard packet of cigarettes to over €20 could significantly reduce smoking levels in the Republic as well as saving over €1 billion in health and societal costs within five years.
The RCPI said comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship were also critical.
While Ireland has led internationally with plain packaging and point-of-sale restrictions, it claims the tobacco industry continues to exploit digital platforms, international media and product placement in film and television.
The group has also suggested reformulation of tobacco products to reduce nicotine in them to non-addictive levels.
It has further proposed implementing and strengthening tobacco retail licensing given that there are almost 12,500 outlets selling tobacco products.
The RCPI said it was calling on the government to commit to delivering a tobacco-free future by 2035, while reducing smoking rates to below 5% across all population groups
“Our evidence-based recommendations provide the pathway. Any hesitation sustains avoidable disease, deepens health inequalities and leaves our next generation in harm’s way,” said Dr Gannon.