The adverse impact of tobacco consumption on human health globally and locally is enormous. It is well documented that tobacco kills. It kills in many ways including lung cancer and other forms of cancer, heart disease, strokes, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. Smoking tobacco products is one of the most unhealthy things a person can do.
Until relatively recently, tobacco consumption was a generally accepted social habit. The product was seen as benign and its use recreational. Today tobacco smoking is recognised as the most extensively documented cause of disease ever investigated in the history of biomedical research. Tobacco products when used as recommended by the manufacturers cause addiction, illness and premature death.
More than 500,000 EU citizens die each year from smoking related diseases - including 7,000 in Ireland - and smoking is the major cause of premature mortality from lung cancer and heart disease. Smokers, in general, face double the risk of contracting cancer - primarily lung cancer - as well as a greater risk of heart disease, strokes, emphysema and other fatal illnesses. About 25% of all cancer deaths in the EU are caused by tobacco consumption.
Half of all persistent smokers are eventually killed by tobacco, one quarter in middle age and one quarter in old age. Those dying in middle age lose, on average, 20 to 25 years of life expectancy. Stopping smoking in or before middle age reduces the risk considerably.
The EU, as far back as 1986 in the Europe Against Cancer programme, acknowledged the necessity to tackle smoking and the need for smoking prevention to be given priority as even a modest reduction in the huge burden of disease caused by tobacco would result in significant health gains. It is against this background that the advertising directive must be considered.
This directive, which was adopted on 2 December 2002, prohibits most forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship. It reflects the concerns of member states at the link between tobacco consumption and the widespread promotion of the product. Most member states have in place national legislative measures to regulate tobacco advertising and related sponsorship activities but the scope varies from country to country ranging from outright bans to limited restrictions. Member states may still take stronger measures on matters not covered by the directive.
The directive replaces an earlier one, 98/43/EC, which was annulled by the European Court of Justice in October 2000 on the grounds that it covered forms of advertising which had no transnational implications and, therefore, it exceeded its legal basis under Article 95 of the European Union treaty.
As a result, the present directive, which takes account of the court's decision, is narrower in scope. It strikes a balance between complying with Internal Market rules and the need for a high level of public health protection. The directive has not yet been published in the Official Journal of the EU. We are advised that this will be done in about two months. The new directive does not deal with indirect advertising - that is the use of tobacco brand names and logos on non-tobacco products.
The tobacco industry is principally a marketing-based industry and promotes its products locally and globally in a variety of ways. As more and more countries impose total or partial bans on tobacco advertising the industry has been adept at finding creative new ways to publicise brands, especially regarding young people. These include brand stretching, in which the tobacco industry has invested heavily, to try to circumvent advertising restrictions and prohibitions. Instead of advertising tobacco products, tobacco brand names and logos are associated with other goods such as clothes, boots, travel bags, fashion accessories, coffee and alcohol. These products are then heavily marketed thereby maintaining public awareness of the brand name but without appearing to advertise tobacco products. This type of advertising is particularly effective when aimed at young people. The Public Health (Tobacco) Act includes provisions to end this type of advertising.
The advertising directive, while important in itself, forms part of a range of measures put in place at European and national level. These measures include a separate directive that restricts the manner in which tobacco products are manufactured, sold and presented. This directive provides for health warnings on cigarette packets and members will be familiar with the recently introduced stronger and more visible health warnings. In an interesting development, consideration is being given to a new system of pictorial warnings. Some countries, notably Canada and Brazil, already require these and I am circulating examples of these to the committee by way of information.
Tobacco advertising is effective. It impacts particularly on young persons and advertising and related activities, such as sponsorship, are major influences in inducing children and teenagers to smoke. Most smokers begin using tobacco and consequently become addicted before adulthood. Children are easier to addict to tobacco products than adults and damage to children's health can be lifelong. Once young people become addicted, advertising maintains that addiction. Tobacco companies have used advertising to foster - particularly among young people - a positive image of smokers and smoking and of social acceptance equated with commencing to smoke. Surprisingly, no mention is made of the dangerous and addictive nature of the product it promotes.
The tobacco industry argues that advertising is aimed at getting smokers to switch brands and does not increase overall consumption. Studies show that this is not the case; tobacco brand loyalty is strong and few smokers switch brands once regular use is established. The advertising of tobacco products is intended to increase overall consumption as well as increasing brand share. Multinational tobacco companies have spent vast sums of money establishing their brand names internationally. Tobacco advertising and the sponsorship of events by tobacco companies establishes tobacco use as the norm and reassures smokers that smoking is socially acceptable. Young people are particularly sensitive to perceived signals that smoking is the norm. Logically, the industry needs access to young people to replace smokers who die from illnesses caused by tobacco consumption or who eventually quit smoking for health reasons.
Available evidence suggests advertising bans are effective. The evidence is that the total prohibition of tobacco advertising and sponsorship contributes to reducing consumption of tobacco products and lessens the social desirability of smoking, particularly among young people. Along with the promotion of a smoke-free environment, the regulation of advertising contributes to establishing non-smoking as the norm. We believe that strong legislation on advertising will curb the predatory marketing practices of the tobacco industry and will ensure that children will not be the future victims of the tobacco epidemic.
Ireland strongly supports EU measures in this area, particularly this directive. At national level, we have put in place a comprehensive ban on advertising and sponsorship by tobacco companies since July 2000. Recent figures published as part of the SLÁN national health and lifestyle surveys show a significant drop in smoking prevalence in the population from 31% in 1998 to 27% in 2002. This figure represents about 100,000 fewer smokers. The ban on tobacco advertising, along with a range of other anti-smoking measures, has contributed to this welcome development.
There is a wider background in an international trend to prohibit and restrict tobacco advertising. The framework convention on tobacco control, sponsored by the World Health Organisation, will be a significant development. The draft of this treaty was agreed in Geneva in February and will come before the world health assembly for adoption later this month. Ireland was very supportive of this measure.
Tobacco is a significant burden to individuals, families and society through death, illness and medical costs. In Ireland, the State assumes most of the costs of health care. Measures such as comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising that contribute to reductions in tobacco consumption are vital if we are to continue to reduce this burden. The Minister for Health and Children has made the threat to public health from tobacco one of his priorities. Strong legislative measures are important public health instruments in tackling that threat and we believe this directive will contribute to reducing tobacco consumption on an EU-wide basis.
