End intolerance towards smokers

During the economic depression of the 1930s, propagandists singled out specific minorities for particular abuse.

We saw what the Nazi party machine did. We vowed it would never happen again.

Your editorial of Jan 2 was on dangerous ground. It pointed the finger at smokers.

It also implied that smokers can choose whether to smoke or not. Nothing could be further from the truth. Smoking is an addiction. It can have painful withdrawal symptoms, both physical and psychological. Many addicts need extraordinary willpower to conquer the power that nicotine has over their deepest subconscious mind. Tough love is not always the best answer.

Civilisations tend to tolerate a social drug of one form or another. In the Western world today it is alcohol.

Creeping criminalisation of smoking drives it underground. It fuels racketeering and smuggling. Draconian price rises have not stamped out smoking. The price of tobacco has more than doubled since 1999.

Nearly 30% of the population of Ireland have always smoked. That is despite intensive media campaigns to make the habit unacceptable. Are the non-smoking, smug majority serious about helping smokers to quit? They should lobby politicians to earmark significant funds to helping people to stop smoking.

Since 2001 the Government has collected over €1bn each year in excise duty on tobacco sales. That is not counting the VAT collected.

The current VAT rate on cigarettes is 23%. Excise duty plus VAT accounts for 78.5% of the legal price of cigarettes. At the 78.8% level, the revenue yielded would start to fall.

People who have stopped smoking know all too well that they are only one cigarette away from a relapse. They know that one cigarette is too many and two are not enough.

Draw back from the abyss of intolerance. The world today badly needs more understanding and compassion for people afflicted by the insidious scourge of smoking.

Michael Mernagh

Raheens

Carrigaline

Co Cork