Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take a different view to my constituency colleague. We differ on some things. I welcome the proposal and believe there is scope to increase the price further. Any measures that can be taken to discourage tobacco use in society is positive and will pay dividends in the long term. We must make a greater effort to stamp out the trade in illegal, illicit and counterfeit tobacco. I have major concerns about the adverse health impacts of some of the counterfeit products that are freely available in any village, town or city in the country. A serious response is required from the Government. Apart from the impact of regular smoking, we do not know what many counterfeit products contain and in the long term they could have a seriously negative impact on public health.

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