Doctors outline six actions for Government to 'deliver a tobacco-free future by 2035'

The paper from the RCPI Clinical Advisory Group on Smoking and E-Cigarettes called for the tobacco industry to be held accountable for harms. File picture

Tobacco claims almost 100 lives each week in Ireland, doctors have warned as they demanded six actions from the Government, including steps to phase out tobacco product sales completely.

The tobacco industry should be held accountable for health costs linked to smoking, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland group also said.

In just one example of tobacco harms seen by doctors every day, Professor Paul Kavanagh warned: “It kills at least one-in-two people who use it exactly as intended by its manufacturers.” The RCPI published an urgent call to action ahead of Ash Wednesday.

Prof. Kavanagh said: “Ireland led the way globally with the introduction of the national workplace smoking ban. But in recent years our progress has stalled with almost one-in-five people still smoking. 

“It’s time for government to lead again and to focus on elimination of tobacco harm for once and for all.” 

The chair of the RCPI Clinical Advisory Group on Smoking and E-Cigarettes pointed to billions of euro spent on healthcare and wider social costs.

“These are not just statistics. They are people, many of whom would not be ill or dying if it was not for smoking or passive smoking,” he said.

He said the “stalled reductions in smoking rates” mean there is no time to waste. The six actions include a new national policy to deliver a tobacco-free future by 2035.

“Creating a Tobacco Free Future for Ireland means taking steps to phase out tobacco product sales completely to protect the health of future generations,” the paper said.

It called for the tobacco industry to be held accountable for harms, saying the government should use litigation to recover the costs incurred for healthcare to treat disease caused by smoking.

It also demanded further commitment to reducing tobacco sales to under-18s. In addition new laws around sales of e-cigarettes should be fully rolled out and monitored.

Costs of tobacco products should be further increased and more supports made available for quitting smoking other than vaping.

“Analysis of national data on e-cigarette and smoking use does not support a view that e-cigarettes have helped tackle smoking,” the paper states. “The use of these products has escalated rapidly in recent years, while at the same time, smoking prevalence has stalled.” 

The harms of smoking

The RCPI paper found smoking “causes more harm than alcohol, drugs, and accidents combined.” There are over 4,500 deaths each year from tobacco use in Ireland, coming to almost one-in-six deaths and almost 1,000 hospitalisations every week.

Every day, 10 people are diagnosed with cancer caused by smoking. Across Ireland smoking causes an estimated 20% of hospital admissions for respiratory conditions, 12% of cancer admissions and 10% of admissions for circulatory diseases.

Overall this drives health inequalities which “shorten lives by up to five years in disadvantaged communities,” the doctors said. The Healthy Ireland survey last year found 17% of the population smoke.