Tobacco manufacturers are adding sweeteners and flavourings to cigarettes sold in Ireland in order to make them more attractive to children and adolescents, an investigation by the Oireachtas committee on smoking and health has concluded.
Sucrose and sucrose syrup, cocoa, fruits, caramel, glycerol and liquorice root were all added to cigarettes sold in this State, the committee's rapporteur, Mr Alan Shatter TD, declared yesterday at the publication of the report.
"While all the tobacco companies which appeared before the committee during its oral hearings stated that children should not smoke, it is clear to the committee that to maintain market share, tobacco companies are dependent on children and teenagers purchasing their cigarette brands and becoming nicotine-dependent," he said.
Details of the cigarette contents were revealed after the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, became the first minister to use powers granted in 1988 to request details of the constituents of tobacco products sold in the Republic. However, up to September two firms failed to furnish information. The two were R. J. Reynolds which sells Camel, Winston, More and More Menthol, and S.E.I.T.A which sells Gauloises.
The other major cigarette manufacturers provided information, but gave only code numbers, rather than brand names. Although the Department of Health insisted this was satisfactory, the firms argued that the disclosure of such details was commercially sensitive.
Mr Shatter said the firms were in breach of the 1988 Act and he hoped prosecutions would be initiated. He also accused the tobacco firms which made oral presentations to the committee of not telling "the full truth".
"In their presentations they denied that smoking was a cause of disease or that nicotine was an addictive substance," Mr Shatter said. "At best they said smoking was a risk factor and in the context of nicotine they said it was a habit, like watching television, eating cream cakes or using the Internet."
However, the tobacco industry in the US had admitted the extent of its research showing the damaging effects of smoking. The Oireachtas committee believed Irish people were entitled to the same information and it was seeking statutory powers to send for persons, papers and records.
The recommendation that these powers be given to the committee was part of a wide-ranging set of proposals to establish a national anti-smoking strategy. This included new laws governing the sale and advertising of tobacco products, new antismoking initiatives and smoking cessation programmes.
The report recommends that the Government, the health boards and the VHI take a civil action against tobacco firms to recover the multi-billion-pound costs incurred by the State and the taxpayer in the treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.
In the light of the success of civil actions taken by 46 US states against the tobacco industry and the decision of the US government to take a federal action, it was no longer defensible that the Irish government should fail to begin legal action, Mr Shatter said.
As part of the anti-smoking strategy, the report recommends the banning of smoking in pubs, all licensed premises, hospitals, work places used by two or more workers, hospitals, all trains and childcare centres and schools. It also proposes that two-thirds of outdoor sports stadia be designated as no-smoking areas.
The fines for breaching these smoking bans would be increased from £100 to £250 for the first offence, and to £500 on conviction for a second or subsequent offence. The owners/managers of these premises would face fines for allowing breaches of up to £1,000 for the first offence, and £2,000 for the second and subsequent offences. i The Garda and environmental health officers should also be empowered to enter premises to investigate complaints of breaches of the smoking regulations.
The report also recommends that the legislation be changed to allow private health insurance firms the option of charging smokers a higher health insurance premium.
To tackle the growing problem of under-age smoking, the committee recommends the raising of the minimum age at which tobacco can be purchased from 16 to 18. It also makes recommendations to drastically curtail tobacco advertising, including a complete press advertising ban and a ban on tobacco sponsorship of events in the State from July 30th, 2001.
The committee urges the Government to increase the tax on tobacco products at a rate 5 per cent above inflation each year to 2005. The revenue generated should be used to fund youth prevention and cessation schemes. A minimum of £9 million should be provided by the State for antismoking and anti-tobacco campaigns.
The target to be achieved by 2005, according to the report, should be to have no smokers under 18 and just 15 per cent of adults smoking.