Anti-smoking groups say €2 price hike will reverse trend

ANTI-SMOKING campaigners last night called for €2 extra to be put on a packet of 20 cigarettes to stub out the rising numbers of smokers.

The tobacco industry is hailing a turnaround in its fortunes after the 2004 smoking ban in Ireland initially wiped out 11.3% of the cigarette market.

According to grocery trade magazine, Retail News, the number of adults smoking packets of cigarettes has risen 5.3% to 950,000 since 2003, making up for the loss caused by the smoking ban.