Tobacco brand ban ‘will have no impact’

The three main tobacco groups in Ireland have claimed legislation proposed by Health Minister James Reilly to ban all branding on cigarettes will have no impact on smoking levels and will only increase the trade in illegal cigarettes.

Representatives of PJ Carroll, John Player, and Japan Tobacco International claimed similar legislation introduced in late 2012 had produced no evidence to show that plain packaging on tobacco products reduced the number of people smoking.

They also warned that the proposed ban on branding of tobacco products would impact on Ireland’s reputation as a location for foreign direct investment because it would be seen as an attack on intellectual property rights.