Smokers' champion begins 'Road to Prohibition' tour

‘Voice and friend of the smoker’ on tour in Ireland, May 2013.

Forest Eireann spokesman John Mallon takes to the road today, Wednesday 14th May, on a tour of the country, bringing his message to the people of Ireland, ‘Prohibition is extremism in a free society’.

Against a backdrop of increasingly restrictive measures on smoking and tobacco, campaigns to ‘de-normalise’ smoking, John will be discussing the issue of ‘creeping prohibition’ and posing the question, ‘Where will it end?’.

Campaigners want to ban smoking in private vehicles carrying children. What next? Private homes where children are present? Outdoor parks and beaches? What about other products that carry a potential health risk such as alcohol and fizzy drinks? Will they be targetted too?

John will also discuss the unintended consequences of anti-tobacco legislation including the closure of hundreds of pubs, an increase in the black market sale of tobacco and, most bizarre of all, the increasing prevalence of smoking in Ireland.

Seeking to explain the worrying implications of creeping prohibition, John Mallon will begin his tour on Wednesday 15th May in Cork, finishing in Dublin on Wednesday 29th May.

Full schedule:

Wednesday 15th May – Cork
Thursday 16th May – Waterford
Friday 17th May – Kilkenny
Monday 20th May – Kerry
Tuesday 21st May October – Limerick
Wednesday 22nd May – Galway
Thursday 23rd May – Sligo/Leitrim
Friday 24th May – Donegal
Monday 27th May – Wicklow
Tuesday 28th May – Dublin

John is available for interview throughout the tour. To arrange an interview please contact Jill Collins on 021 4271234 or contact John direct on 085 219 3245.

Creeping Prohibition 2004-2013

• 29 March 2004 – Ban on smoking in the workplace including every pub and bar
• 31 May 2007 – Ban on sale of a pack of ten cigarettes. Department of Health claims that 10-packs are a magnet for under-age smokers
• 1 January 2009 – first campus-wide hospital smoking ban at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin
• 1 July 2009 – ban on displays of tobacco products at retail outlets and new controls on tobacco vending machines
• 19 December 2012 – Minister for Health Dr James Reilly welcoms publication of a proposal for a new EU Tobacco Products Directive

[The proposed Directive includes a ban on cigarettes with "characterising flavours" (eg menthol) and a ban on oral tobacco (snus) will continue, except in Sweden which has an exemption. It also proposes severe restrictions on e-cigarettes.]

• January 2013 – Draft legislation to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children approved by Minister for Health Dr James Reilly
  
  John Mallon says: “All this legislation de-normalises not just the act of smoking, but the actual smoker. The effect is to isolate, exclude and degrade smokers – a significant minority of the population – and invite those who do not smoke to view the smoker as a second class citizen. It divides society and creates resentment and entrenchment among people who might otherwise decide for themselves to quit.
  
  “Step by step, Government is edging towards the prohibition of tobacco in society and the criminalisation of thousands of people who currently enjoy a legal product. If you don’t smoke you may be unconcerned but something you enjoy might be next. That is the wider issue.”

Forest welcomes report that UK government has abandoned plans for plain packaging

Campaigners in Ireland have welcomed a report that UK prime minister David Cameron has abandoned plans to put cigarettes in standardised packaging.

According to the Sun newspaper:

The PM initially backed the plan, but has been persuaded it would damage the packaging industry.

There were also concerns it could cost £3billion in lost tax revenue and tie up the Commons in bitter arguments.'

John Mallon, spokesman for the smokers' group Forest Eireann, said:

"We welcome the news. Plain packaging has nothing to do with health. There is no evidence it would make any difference to youth smoking rates but it could do enormous harm to small businesses, especially retailers, and drive even more consumers to the illicit market.

"I hope our own government will take note and abandon any plans they might have to introduce standardised packaging in Ireland.

"Ministers should wait and see what impact plain packaging has in Australia, which is the only country to have introduced the policy. So far there is no evidence that it has had any impact at all.

"Our country has far bigger issues to address, notably the economy. Getting embroiled in an argument about packaging would make no sense at all."

Campaigners criticise plain packaging of tobacco

The smokers' group Forest Eireann has criticised the suggestion that plain packaging of tobacco products could be introduced in Ireland.

Spokesman John Mallon said:

"Tobacco control policies should be evidence based. There is no evidence that plain packaging will reduce youth smoking rates.

"Worse, standardised packaging could be counter-productive, making it easier for criminal gangs to counterfeit packets of cigarettes and sell them on the black market.

"This is gesture politics designed to distract attention from more pressing issues such as A&E waiting times."

Picture health warnings criticised

The smokers’ group Forest Eireann has criticised the picture health warnings that are mandatory on all tobacco products sold in Ireland from February 1st.

Spokesman John Mallon said, “We support measures that educate people about the health risks related to smoking but these images are designed not to educate but to shock and coerce consumers to give up a legal product.

“Smokers know the risks. The pictures are unnecessarily intrusive, gratuitously offensive, and yet another example of smokers being singled out for special attention.”

He added:

“Picture warnings may have some initial impact but consumers quickly become immune to them. Far from giving up, most smokers will ignore them and reach for their fags in defiance.

“What next, graphic health warnings on alcohol, fatty foods and cars?”

ends

For further comment contact John Mallon 085 117 0943

Note to editors:

1. All tobacco products placed on the market on or after 1 February 2013 must comply with the new regulations.

2. US Court Rules against Graphic Health Warning Prints on Tobacco Products (International Business Times, March 1, 2012)

Campaigners criticise proposals to ban smoking in cars

Campaigners have criticised proposals to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children.

Responding to a report that draft legislation has been approved by Health Minister James Reilly, the consumer group Forest Eireann said the move was "disproportionate, illiberal and a distraction from the many more serious issues facing our country".

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said:

"We don't condone adults who smoke in a car carrying children but legislation, and fines of €3,000, are disproportionate to the offence. Education is far better than legislation.

"For most people their car is a private space so this is a worryingly illiberal step. What next? A ban on smoking in the home if children are present?"

Urging TDs to reject legislation, Mallon added:

"Ireland has huge economic problems. Legislation to ban smoking in cars is a distraction from the many more serious issues facing our country."

For further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 117 0943

Sin taxes reflect failure of government policy says Forest

Forest Eireann says that increasing ‘sin taxes’ on products such as alcohol and tobacco and linking it to the cost of healthcare is dishonest.

“Alcohol and tobacco are regarded as milk cows by government,” said spokesman John Mallon. “Tobacco taxes raise far more than the healthcare costs of treating smoking-related diseases.

“These so-called sin taxes cover up government profligacy with taxpayers’ money and the failure of government policy. To pretend otherwise is dishonest.

"Record levels of tobacco duty have resulted in a flourishing black market," said Mallon. "Small retailers and law-abiding consumers have suffered enough.

"The only winners are the criminal gangs who think nothing of smuggling illicit and counterfeit goods into the country.

“The current level of tobacco duty is excessive and counter-productive.

Smokers' group welcomes "victory for common sense"

Forest Eireann has welcomed the failure of a motion to prohibit smoking throughout the Oireachtas as a "victory for commonsense".

Senator John Crown wanted to remove all designated outdoor smoking areas on the Leinster House campus which would have forced people to leave the grounds before they could light up.

The motion was rejected by the Joint Committee on Health and Children. Members agreed with Senator Crown's objective (a reduction in the number of people who smoke) but expressed concern for the personal safety of staff forced to leave the grounds.

Instead the Committee voted for an amendment that supported a voluntary approach to smoking prevention.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said:

"This is a victory for common sense. Tobacco is a legal product and smokers are entitled to light up outside where they are not inconveniencing anyone.

"Senator Crown's motion had one objective, to force people to give up smoking. People should have a choice and education is better than coercion.

"The Health Committee's decision is based on pragmatism and we welcome this sensible approach to policy making."

Forest Eireann slams proposal to ban smoking in cars with children present

Forest Eireann, the representative body for smokers in Ireland, today rejected claims by Senator John Crown, that smoking in cars when children are present should be banned.

John Mallon of Forest Eireann said, "Most responsible parents would not light a cigarette in a car with children present, and I wouldn't condone it myself. But legislating for something that common sense already
dictates is a gross over reaction.

"We would encourage parents not to smoke in cars when children are present but legislation would be almost impossible to enforce. It would also be a huge waste of taxpayers' money."

According to a survey in the UK last year on 1,000 adult smokers, 85.3% said that they would not smoke in a car if a child was present. A further 6.5% said that they would ask before lighting up, and only 8.2% said that they would smoke as normal.

This is indicative, says Forest, that the vast majority of smokers have changed their behaviour voluntarily, without government intervention.

"It begs the question," said John Mallon, "why we need another law that even its supporters accept would be difficult to enforce. Education has to be better than coercion."

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

Forest Eireann: don't increase tobacco duty

A smokers' lobby group has ridiculed anti-smoking campaigners who want to increase the price of tobacco.

The Irish Heart Foundation wants a one-euro tax increase on a packet of cigarettes and has urged Finance Minister Michael Noonan to take action in December's Budget.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said:

"Criminal gangs must be rubbing their hands at the thought of a further increase in tobacco duty.

"Excessive taxation encourages smuggling and that in turn leads to a loss in revenue.

"Cheap black market tobacco also fuels an increase in consumption.

"The only sensible policy is to reduce tobacco duty or maintain a tax freeze.

"In these difficult economic times we urge Mr Noonan to put pragmatism ahead of anti-smoking fanaticism."

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

Smokers' champion takes to the road

A champion of smokers’ rights in Ireland has begun a two-week tour of the country.

John Mallon, spokesman for the smokers’ group Forest Eireann, will visit pubs and bars in Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tralee, Limerick, Galway, Ballyhaunis, Westport, Letterkenny and Dublin.

He will speak to publicans and consumers, inviting smokers to have their say on issues such as the public smoking ban, graphic health warnings and smoking in cars.

He will also distribute copies of Forest Eireann’s ‘Smokers’ Manifesto’ which calls on the Government to “treat one million adults with the respect they deserve”.

Calling for greater tolerance and common sense on the issue of smoking, Mallon said:

“I represent the rights of adults who make an informed choice to smoke tobacco in full knowledge of the health risks associated with this legal product.

“I respect the rights of non-smokers but I do not believe that it is necessary nor desirable to deny smokers their own rights. We seek compromise and accommodation for all tastes and opinions, not denormalisation, social exclusion and different treatment for a substantial minority of the population.

“While the smoking ban has been claimed as a success, it has forced the closure of over 1,000 pubs with all of the job losses that entails. The number of smokers has risen from 23.5% of the population to 29%. Also, the artificial inflation of tobacco pricing has given criminal elements a huge profit motive for their activities, something we regret on many grounds.

“Given that smokers contribute an extra £1.5Bn a year above and beyond all the other taxes they pay, we are asking the Government to look at the regulations that currently insist that a perfectly legal smoking room must be open to the elements and is therefore cold, wet and draughty in our climate. There is no medical, moral nor economic reason why this should be so.”

– ends –

John Mallon’s tour schedule – 12-26 October 2011:

Wednesday 12th October – Cork
Thursday 13th October – Waterford
Friday 14th October – Kilkenny

Monday 17th October – Tralee, Co Kerry
Tuesday 18th October – Limerick
Wednesday 19th October – Galway
Thursday 20th Oct October – Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo
Friday 21st Oct October – Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Tuesday 25th October – Dublin
Wednesday 26th October – Dublin

John is available for interview throughout the tour. Telephone 085 219 3245.

Government must act to stop pub closures

The Government should intervene to save Ireland’s pubs, according to Forest Eireann, the smoker’s lobby group. The call comes on the back of new data showing a dramatic decline in employment in the pub trade.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, urged the Government to support the drinks industry in its efforts to fight job losses in the pub trade. He said:

“Research last year showed that the smoking ban has made a big contribution to pub closures, and this has been compounded by below-cost selling by large retailers, driving customers to the off-trade. These factors are a direct result of legislation and it is therefore within the remit of the Government to address them.”

The new figures, released by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), show that 7,000 jobs were lost in the sector, reducing employment to just 50,000.

“It is ironic to think that a smoking ban ostensibly introduced to protect the health of bar staff should be contributing to their loss of employment,” Mallon said.

The drinks industry in Ireland contributes €2 billion in tax revenue to the state each year and is responsible for €1.25 billion in exports annually.

“If the Government is willing to allow this business to fail through its own inaction, then perhaps we should ask how it proposes to replace the revenue deficit that must surely follow,” he added.

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

Amend smoking ban "to help save the Irish pub"

Seven years after the smoking ban came into effect in all Irish workplaces, a smokers’ group has called for the legislation to be amended to bring Ireland into line with most European countries and “help save the Irish pub”.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said:

“In the seven years since the smoking ban was introduced, more than a thousand pubs have gone bust with more closures on the way.

“A sensible compromise has been found in countries such as Holland where small owner-managed pubs can choose to be smoking or non-smoking, and larger premises are given the option of having separate, well-ventilated smoking rooms.

“At the very least the regulations should be amended to allow for outdoor smoking rooms that are warm and comfortable all year round.

“Our pub culture is one of the reasons why Ireland is still a great place to live and visit, despite the tough economic times. Pubs bring people together. They are places where friendships are made and people can enjoy a drink together in a sociable, responsible environment.

“With a change of government, let’s have a change of heart on the smoking ban and help save the Irish pub.”

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

“Smokers are voters too” says Forest Eireann

A smokers’ lobby group says the next government should relax the smoking ban and have greater respect for Ireland’s one million adult smokers.

Tobacco control policies should be amended so they “are fair for everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike”, said Forest Eireann.

Speaking at the launch of the group’s “smokers’ manifesto” in Cork, spokesman John Mallon said:

“There are one million smokers in Ireland, and smokers are voters too.

“The next government must review the way smokers are treated and devise policies that are fair for everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike.”
The smokers’ manifesto urges politicians to:

• respect the rights of adults who have made an informed choice to smoke tobacco in full knowledge of the health risks associated with this legal product

• acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of smokers are ordinary, decent, law-abiding adults whose habit does not affect their ability to make a positive contribution to Irish society

• relax the smoking ban so that pubs and bars can provide smoking rooms that allow adults to smoke in greater comfort without bothering non-smokers

• cut tobacco duty to tackle smuggling and reduce the temptation to buy tobacco abroad

• recognise the major financial contribution made by consumers who buy tobacco from legitimate retailers in Ireland

• review the use of public money to fund groups and quangos dedicated to persecuting adult smokers

• engage with the consumer so that one million smokers no longer feel ignored and disenfranchised from the political process

• treat one million voters with the respect they deserve

According to Forest Eireann:

“Ireland’s tobacco control policies have been a disaster.

“Since the smoking ban was introduced in 2004 more than 1000 pubs have closed. Many more have reduced their opening hours. Publicans have lost customers and bar workers have lost their jobs.

“Smokers are forced to stand outside or remain at home. Those hardest hit include the elderly, many of whom used to enjoy a drink and a smoke in their local bar. Now reports suggest that loneliness is a major cause of ill health, worse than lifelong smoking.

“Record levels of duty have forced the price of tobacco sky high. No wonder that nearly a third of smokers avoid buying tobacco, and paying Irish duty, in Irish shops.

“Government policy has created an enormous black market. Tobacco control? You’re kidding. Criminal gangs sell cigarettes to anyone, including children.”

Despite this record of failure, says Forest Eireann, tobacco control campaigners now want picture warnings on packets of cigarettes, a ban on smoking in private vehicles, bans on smoking in outdoor areas, and the denormalisation of smoking and adults who choose to smoke.

Calling for greater tolerance and common sense, John Mallon said:

“The anti-smoking movement has gone too far. Unwittingly, perhaps, some well-meaning campaigners are making many smokers’ lives a misery.

“We support restrictions on public smoking but to ban smoking in every bar without exemption was unnecessary and draconian. The tobacco display ban and proposals to introduce picture warnings on packets and ban smoking in private vehicles suggest a movement that doesn’t know when to stop.

“But our manifesto is not just about smoking. It’s about excessive government intervention in people’s daily lives, and that affects everybody, smokers and nonsmokers alike.

“What next? Will it be alcohol? Sweets? Crisps? Fizzy drinks?

“If people do not fight for their rights a host of other restrictions will surely follow.”

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

Download the Smokers' Manifesto

Forest Eireann slams New York smoking ban

The smokers’ group Forest Eireann has criticised a decision by New York city council to ban smoking in the city’s parks, beaches and public squares.

Supporters of the new measures said it would help improve the health of New Yorkers and prevent non-smokers from having to breathe other people's tobacco smoke.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said: “It’s nonsense to suggest that non-smokers are at risk from people smoking in the open air.

“Banning smoking in parks and squares has nothing to do with the health of non-smokers. It’s designed to force people to quit smoking whatever the consequences for civil liberties.”
Mallon added that Forest Eireann would fight the imposition of similar regulations in Dublin and other Irish cities.

“It is completely unreasonable to ban smoking in all public places, indoors and out.
“Tobacco is a legal product and a huge proportion of what people spend on tobacco goes to the Exchequer. If the government wants our money we have to be allowed to smoke somewhere, and not just at home.

“We encourage people to smoke responsibly, but fining people if they light up outside is a step too far.

“Unfortunately anti-smoking zealots won’t be happy until smoking is outlawed completely. If that happens people will still smoke but in an uncontrolled environment and the main beneficiaries will be criminal gangs and the manufacturers of illicit cigarettes.”

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245

Forest Eireann welcomes tobacco display ban delay in Scotland

The smokers' group Forest Eireann has welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government that the introduction of a tobacco display ban in Scotland is being delayed from 1 October 2011 until further notice due to a legal appeal by Imperial Tobacco.

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said:

"We welcome the announcement by the Scottish Government and hope that this marks the beginning of the end for tobacco display bans in the United Kingdom and even Ireland.

"Banning the display of tobacco in shops has done nothing to reduce smoking rates in Ireland.

"It's an act of commercial censorship designed to denormalise tobacco and stigmatise adults who choose to consume a perfectly legal product.

"The only people who have benefitted from the display ban are black marketeers and consumers who operate outside the law.

"After the election the new government must review Ireland's tobacco control strategy and revise existing policies so that they are fair for everyone, including retailers, publicans and consumers."

Further comment
John Mallon (Forest Eireann) 085 219 3245