Cigarette group condemns new health signs

The Irish Cigarette Machine Operators Association (ICMOA) has condemned the production of 'no smoking' signage by the Department of Health and Minister Micheál Martin.

The Department of Health recently produced a series of no smoking promotional literature stating that it is illegal to smoke on these premises.

Gerry Lawlor, spokesperson for the ICMOA said: "Micheál Martin's posters mislead the public into thinking you cannot smoke in pubs, this is incorrect, the public are free to smoke herbal cigarettes in pubs if they so wish and the only way you break the law is by smoking tobacco products".

He said: "We would like this current campaign to be scrapped."

Members of the ICMOA plan to stock their vending machines with a range of herbal cigarettes, which the public are allowed to smoke in pubs as they are exempt from the Minister's smoking ban.

The Association was founded in 1982 and has over 120 member companies whose sole or primary source of income is the cigarette vending business.

Its membership represents over 90% of the cigarette vending sector.