John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. Obviously, I join in the support for a gradual ratcheting up of the pressure on the tobacco industry. I favour punitive levels of tax on its profits. There is nothing about the tobacco industry we should be trying to protect. There is no economic argument in the macroeconomics of the country to support keeping the tobacco industry running either nationally or internationally. A great deal of nonsense is talked about the critical importance of the tobacco industry to farmers, manufacturers and so forth. There is a colossal opportunity cost associated with the money which is spent on tobacco products, in addition to the obvious health and, indeed, moral benefits which would accrue from everybody stopping smoking. There would be vast economic benefits. For that reason we must understand that the tobacco industry, although it is legal, is unethical and evil. We should be trying to stamp it out. That should be our goal. These are people whose business plan can be summed up in four words: addict children to carcinogens. If the tobacco company does not do that, it fails.

For that reason I support the increase in tax, but I would go further. During the six months when Ireland holds the Presidency of the EU, I propose a very far-reaching policy which I believe our Government should espouse and which every Member of the Houses should support. We should get the EU to commit itself to the idea that by the year 2030 it will be illegal to do any commerce in tobacco, that is, grow it for profit, sell it, import it and manufacture products. If we invented tobacco tomorrow, it would not be legal. There is no doubt about that. Substances which are far less carcinogenic than tobacco products are routinely banned. They cannot be used in the manufacturing, environmental and many other sectors. We would never allow it. It is here because it has been grandfathered in, so we should commit ourselves to that policy. As a step along that route, we should also consider a very concise, EU directive that bans any contact between a tobacco company and a public relations company until such time as we implement a complete commercial ban. We have no business allowing the industry to use propaganda to get more addicts.