Almost 100 people die each week in Ireland from illnesses caused by tobacco products, according to a new report by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
The position paper said tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland, with the substance leading to more harm than alcohol, drugs and accidents combined.
Written by the organisation’s clinical advisory group on smoking and e-cigarettes, the doctors said the report is an “urgent call for action” to move towards a tobacco-free society.
There are more than 4,500 deaths each year in the State from tobacco use, accounting for almost one in six deaths and almost 1,000 hospitalisations every week, the report said.
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Ten people every day are diagnosed with cancer caused by smoking, it added.
Prof Paul Kavanagh, chairman of the clinical advisory group, said Ireland is at a “critical juncture in the fight against tobacco” and it remains the State’s “greatest public health challenge”.
“Ireland led the way globally with the introduction of the national workplace smoking ban. But in recent years our progress has stalled with almost one in five people still smoking. It’s time for Government to lead again and to focus on elimination of tobacco harm for once and for all,” Kavanagh said.
The position paper makes six calls for Government action, and presents a detailed roadmap of 21 recommendations to deliver a tobacco-free future by 2035.
Among the recommendations was a call to regulate for very low nicotine content in tobacco products, remove filters, ban all advertising and maximise health warnings on packaging.
The doctors also called on the Government to commit to a tobacco-free generation by ending the sale of tobacco to future generations.
Kavanagh said tobacco costs the State billions in healthcare and wider social costs, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and illness.
“The statistics are stark, but these are not just statistics – they are people, many of whom would not be ill or dying if it was not for smoking or passive smoking. Most people who smoke wish they had never started and there is strong public support for meaningful Government action," he said.
“Stalled reductions in smoking rates and the continuing scale of harm caused by tobacco products mean we have no time to waste. Ireland has led the world before in its efforts to tackle tobacco harm. It’s time to lead again.”
The Government has taken a number of steps to protect public health from the impact of tobacco and smoking in recent years, including the passing of public health laws which will raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 from 2028.
They have also passed legislation to improve regulation of vaping products, nicotine pouches and other tobacco products that could be introduced for sale in the future.
