Vol. 251 No. 1
asked the Minister for Health whether he intends to insist that all cigarette packets will carry a warning as to the potentially lethal contents of cigarette tobaccos; and whether he intends to insist that the nicotine content of cigarettes must be displayed on packets.
41.
asked the Minister for Health what steps he intends to take to stop all advertising of cigarettes in view of their potentially lethal contents.
42.
asked the Minister for Health what steps are being taken to educate people as to the dangers of smoking; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to answer Questions Nos. 40 to 42 together.
First of all, I think I should make the point that the recently-published report of the Royal College of Physicians—Smoking and Health Now —contains nothing essentially new or anything which was not known to me or my advisers in relation to the hazard to health which is caused by smoking cigarettes. That is not to decry the work which the report represents nor to attempt to diminish the import of its message. Rather it is to say that being aware of the gravity of the problem I had a year ago taken a positive decision to intensify the campaign of my Department against cigarettes. This campaign is quite frankly aimed at the young person and is designed not only to dissuade him or her from starting to smoke but to engender a climate in which the maturity status of the cigarette and its present automatic social acceptance will be questioned and ultimately cast aside.
I have, with the whole-hearted co-operation of Radio Telefís Éireann, used television, this most powerful medium, extensively in my endeavours to achieve this purpose. I have also used radio, the newspapers, magazines with a special appeal to youth, have sponsored a country-wide poster design anti-cigarette competition for young people and used school film shows in my endeavours. So far as adults are concerned, I take the view that they are adequately educated by the various reports and the comment upon them in the media down the years and this, together with the fallout from the youth-orientated campaign of my Department, should, I feel, enable them to make a sensible choice as to whether to smoke or not to smoke. I am, therefore, strongly disinclined to waste resources of either time or money in what would be essentially futile efforts to dissuade them from the habit.
As to the future efforts of my Department, I intend in the coming financial year to intensify still further the campaign of my Department aimed at the young. Apart from beaming the anti-cigarette smoking education at the young persons themselves directly, using the most sophisticated media methods available to me, I propose to enlist in my campaigns the aid of people who have direct and special relationships with the young. I am, too, considering other methods but it is premature to make any disclosure of them at this point.
On the question of banning advertising of cigarettes entirely, I must say that I am disinclined to use any element of compulsion whatsoever. Radio Telefís Éireann have voluntarily decided to abandon cigarette advertising on television as from the 1st April next and, in my view, this must of itself have considerable impact—although I should perhaps draw the House's attention to the fact that in paragraph 9.28 of the recent report of the Royal College of Physicians the point is made that despite the fact that in Russia and Italy, there is no advertising of cigarettes, consumption of them has steadily risen. I should also make it clear that I will be watching carefully for any intensification or diversification of cigarette promotion.
On the question of notices on packets, I remain to be convinced that they are of any really significant value. As to the warning notice, the report in question, in paragraph 9.34, reveals that a survey in the United States showed that only one in five said that he or she had been affected by it and only 2 per cent had stopped or decided not to start smoking because of it.
May I ask the Minister why he is reluctant to use methods of compulsion in the case of this particular drug as he is quite free with his compulsory powers in relation to other drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines and the rest? Why does he exclude this drug?
So far as I am aware, the drug effect of nicotine bears no comparison to the drug effect of amphetamines.
Did the Minister ever see anyone dying of lung cancer?
In the case of the drugs about which we have passed legislation——
Rubbish.
——they have hallucogenic effects and grave effects on character.
Rubbish.
They also cause immense mental distress in families where drug addiction exists.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
