Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am feeling my way with this, because I never drank or smoke so I do not know how alcohol or smoking tastes. However, I know how chocolate tastes and I am very fond of chocolate. If I do or taste something I do not like, I will not do it again. I am trying to understand how people feel when they take a few puffs of a cigarette. I am sure it cannot be nice on the first few occasions. The same would apply to alcohol. I have heard people say that when they start drinking it takes a while to acquire the taste. Will the plain packaging help? Would increasing the price of a packet of cigarettes to €20 help? The problem is that if one starts a price war on tobacco, the smuggling will cause hassle. What can we do to stop young people smoking? As I said, it takes a while to get addicted to cigarettes, so what keeps the process going with cigarettes and alcohol?