Sir, - I read with interest the reports of proposals put forward by the Minister for Health, Brian Cowen, to levy cigarette smokers up to an extra £1 on a packet of 20 cigarettes to help fund a Government strategy on reducing heart disease.
I am concerned as to whether the effects of such a strategy have really been fully considered.
Tobacco products are already considered to be worthwhile targets for organised crime. Witness the recent armed hijacking of a goods train and the theft of cigarettes with an estimated value of £1 million pounds. Or the discovery of £1.5 million worth of illegally imported cigarettes in a container in Dublin Port. Both incidents occurred in the same week that Mr Cowen announced his proposals.
If the Government is serious about trying to cut down on the amount of damage done by cigarettes, it needs to do two things. It should put in measures to try to prevent youngsters starting smoking in the first place, and it should help current smokers who wish to quit.
The latest research finding I read (admittedly from Britain) suggests that as many as 70 per cent of existing smokers want to quit. However, I doubt if raising the price of the product is really going to have much success in helping them, especially when we consider the fact that nicotine is possibly one of the most addictive substances that most of us are likely to take.
Nicotine patches, chewing gum and inhalers are probably the most useful things that can be employed to help people stop smoking. But none of them is cheap. Nor, as far as I am aware, is any of them available on prescription.
I would suggest that one of the most sensible things that Mr Cowen could do to help smokers to kick the habit would be to make such nicotine replacement therapy available on prescription. This makes just as much sense as the methadone replacement therapy that is available to opiate addicts.
As far as trying to prevent the next generation of smokers is concerned, a proper education programme needs to be put in place, together with a total ban on the advertising of tobacco products, and the sponsorship of things like sports events by the tobacco companies. - Yours, etc.,
Martin Cooke, Corcormick, Drumkeerin, Co Leitrim.