John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Fine. At the recent meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and again in the Minister's presence in the Seanad, I stated that there is much merit to the idea of the European Union committing to a long-term strategic goal of eradicating all commerce for profit in tobacco. It is a given that if tobacco were discovered for the first time tomorrow, it would not be legal. Chemicals which are far less dangerous to people's health are routinely banned in a way that tobacco has not been. It has become socially acceptable because it has been available, in Europe at least, for 400 to 500 years.

There is no doubt that the principal driver behind the tobacco addiction epidemic which still sweeps Europe is the huge profits which can be obtained. These profits are used to fund attempts by public relations companies to influence public policy and into various forms of advertising which are legislated for differently in the many jurisdictions that comprise the European Union. It is obvious that the screw is turning with regard to such advertising but the reality is that it should not be acceptable or possible to sell a cancer-causing, addictive toxin to anyone. We have already created a website by means of which we are collecting support for the notion that tobacco should no longer be legal by the year 2030. We picked a date so far in the future because it will give tobacco farmers an opportunity to learn how to grow other crops. They will be growing such crops in a world which will be increasingly short of food. Investment houses, hedge funds and pensions funds will also have an opportunity to diversify their investments out of tobacco. In addition, tobacco companies will have a chance to learn to repurpose their factories and make new products. Given that the bully pulpit afforded by the Presidency of the European Union will be at our disposal next year, we will have a great opportunity to advance this matter.

I ask the Minister to pay attention to the potential collateral damage to which the forthcoming data protection regulations could give rise in respect of cancer research. I will be delighted to brief him in greater detail on these regulations. Although clearly not the aim of those who drafted them, the regulations to which I refer could have a very negative impact on cancer and other forms of research. I wish the Minister well during the six months of our Presidency.