Tobacco Crisis: 100 Weekly Deaths Demand Urgent Government Action

The Irish health system faces a devastating crisis as nearly 100 people die every week from tobacco-related illnesses, according to a damning new report from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. This public health emergency demands immediate and decisive action from our government.

A Crisis of Preventable Deaths

The RCPI position paper reveals tobacco remains Ireland's leading cause of preventable disease and death, causing more harm than alcohol, drugs, and accidents combined. This is not just a statistic but a human tragedy affecting families across our communities every single day.

Dr Paul Kavanagh, Chair of the RCPI's clinical advisory group on smoking and e-cigarettes, highlighted Ireland's stalled progress. Despite our pioneering workplace smoking ban, smoking rates have not decreased since 2019, with nearly one in five people still smoking.

Time for Bold Leadership

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Kavanagh called for transformative action: "There's a huge burden of devastating harm caused by smoking here in Ireland. As doctors on the frontline picking up the pieces of this harm every day, we're saying to Government that there's unfinished business."

The medical community proposes an ambitious but achievable goal: a tobacco-free Ireland by 2035. This vision requires courage and commitment from our political leaders to prioritize public health over corporate interests.

Protecting Our Children

Central to this fight is protecting Ireland's youth. Dr Kavanagh emphasized the need for a tobacco-free generation, building on existing Tobacco 21 measures. "We need to take children and young people out of harm's way," he stressed, pointing to similar initiatives being examined in the UK.

Economic Reality Check

The current taxation approach requires urgent review. While tobacco prices increased 24% since 2020, weekly incomes rose 28%, effectively making cigarettes more affordable. This policy failure undermines public health objectives and benefits only the tobacco industry.

Dr Kavanagh challenged conventional thinking: "What we're asking now is for our Government to really get to the heart of the issue, which is the fact that we have an industry valued at over a trillion dollars each year that's producing a product that it knows kills at least one in two people who use it."

A Call for Social Justice

This crisis disproportionately affects working-class communities, making it a social justice issue. A progressive government must act decisively to protect all citizens, regardless of their economic circumstances, from predatory industries that profit from addiction and death.

The RCPI has provided a comprehensive blueprint for achieving a tobacco-free future. Now it's time for our government to show the same pioneering spirit that made Ireland a global leader in workplace smoking bans. Our people's health depends on it.