A COLLEAGUE of mine swears by electronic cigarettes. In fact, he no longer considers himself a smoker, despite the ominous, sizzling sound every time he inhales and the light mist that follows.
He insists they are 100 per cent safe and refuses to accept any suggestions to the contrary. He can’t understand why ignorant naysayers won’t tolerate his use of e-cigarettes on a bus. Now a regular face at his local gym, he says he’s never felt better.
Personally, I’m still not convinced. There are conflicting reports about the safety of e-cigarettes and I believe that the jury is still out on this issue. In 10 years’ time, will we express amazement that we once allowed these gadgets in the workplace, the same way we do when we recoil in disgust at the memory of ashtrays on cinema seats and in airplanes?
While the debate about the need for further research into e-cigarettes is really just starting, the battle to eradicate traditional tobacco products from Irish society rages on.
Last week, the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation jointly called on the Minister for Finance to increase the price of cigarettes by 50 cent in next month’s budget. The two health charities believe that this would reduce the number of young people smoking even further than its current all-time-low of 8.3 per cent of 10 to 17-year-olds.
“Higher prices will mean fewer smokers, particularly in the under-18 age group,” said Donal Buggy, Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society. “We have already seen that the number of children smoking falls with increasing price. We want the Government to move the affordability of smoking further out of reach from young people.”
Research conducted by the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society in 2011 found that when choosing which cigarette brand to purchase, price is usually the deciding factor for teens and most will automatically choose the cheapest, irrespective of whether it is their first choice.
They are also recommending that the tax on roll-your-own tobacco be increased until it is level with that of cigarettes. The latest figures show that the number of people smoking loose tobacco has increased in recent years and this may be because it is cheaper than rolled cigarettes. In addition, they want to see a levy on manufacturers’ profits.
Of course, not everyone would be happy about a punitive price increase of 50 cent on every pack of cigarettes. It would lead to the usual dire warnings about it playing into the hands of the black market cigarette trade.
But the two charities have factored this into their submission and have called for the publication of an anti-smuggling strategy to reduce the rate of illegal tobacco in Ireland by two per cent every year.
The sad reality is that smokers are a dying breed – quite literally in too many cases. There is a huge societal impact, both in terms of the burden it places on our health service and the human cost of losing loved ones to tobacco related diseases.
Any proposal that helps prevent today’s young people from starting this addictive, destructive habit deserves to be taken seriously by the Government.