Sir, - I realise that Dr Fenton Howell as chairman of ASH has his own agenda (November 3rd), but to claim that "the banning of smoking in pubs in some parts of the United States has been hugely successful and has not affected turnover", is completely and utterly wrong.
A report prepared by KPMG on behalf of the American Beverage Institute after the banning of smoking in pubs in California showed that more than 90 per cent of the establishments surveyed showed a decrease in turnover, the average drop being about 30 per cent causing layoffs of staff and closures.
ASH has the ear of the Minister for Health that I don't doubt, but I've also read some of the material used by the Office of Tobacco Control that was established and many of its recommendations are based upon a Canadian study, which contains assertions that even a 10-year-old would know are blatantly untrue.
The recent call to have tobacco excluded from the Consumer Price Index so that the price can be racked up is yet another example of "how can we punish the smoker?" Yet the real consequences of that would be a huge increase in tobacco smuggling and a net loss to the Finance Minister in tobacco duty. In the UK it is estimated that 30 per cent of all cigarettes are bought from smuggled-in sources.
Having lost the argument and finding that people continue to smoke well aware of the health risks, it seems the approach now is to effectively ban a legal recreational drug by making outrageous claim as to its addiction level and effect on health.
Perhaps ASH should just come clean and say it hates the smell of tobacco smoke and is so intolerant that it will do anything to prevent others from enjoying their smoking habit. - Yours, etc.,
Richard Ashton, Malahide, Co Dublin.