Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

It is incredible that the House is debating the issue of deglamorising of one of the most deadly products on the planet. Tobacco smoking is the greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in Ireland and the percentage of smokers in the population remains high, at 22%. After many decades of lying and deceit by the tobacco companies, we know their product leads to a deadly habit. Many of us who have fallen victim to tobacco smoking in the past can testify to this.

A previous speaker from the Fine Gael Party argued that the proposal would only influence other smokers. That is incorrect as anybody who has smoked will know that the branding and appearance of tobacco products add to their allure and attraction. It is possible to judge social class by the brand of cigarette a person smokes. Those who want to be cool and youthful will smoke Marlboro Lights, while those who want to display status will smoke other cigarette brands. The suggestion that branding and packaging are unrelated to the attractiveness of cigarettes is untrue.

The Bill will introduce plain packaging to deglamorise smoking for potential new smokers. All the representative organisations in the area of health as well as a large number of non-governmental organisations, including those involved in the cancer area, have called for this measure. The tobacco industry is virtually the only group that is up in arms about the proposal. It is amazing that Philip Morris has challenged the right of governments across the globe to introduce health legislation in this area. When the Taoiseach arrived in the United States to take part in the St. Patrick's Day festivities it seems he was greeted with a letter from the American Chamber of Commerce in which it questioned the Irish Government's right to introduce this legislation. The letter stated that its provisions on branding could degrade intellectual property rights and affect American and Irish business. Philip Morris, the company that makes Marlboro cigarettes, is leading the charge on this issue. As I noted, Marlboro relies heavily on image, including its image as an attractive product for young people. Anyone who smokes will be aware that this is the case. If one visits a pub or nightclub on a Saturday night, one will see many young people with Marlboro cigarettes. It is important to the company to be able to maintain its image because for many people their products call to mind images of cowboys and so forth.

In the course of this debate, we have heard that smoking rates increased in Australia after plain packaging was introduced. I have heard a similar argument being made on the streets when this topic was being discussed. If smoking rates increased in Australia following the introduction of plain packaging, why would cigarette companies take the Australian Government to court? Why are they threatening to take court cases against every country that considers this type of measure? They do so because plain packaging has the potential to discourage young people from starting to smoke.

For me, as a socialist, intellectual property rights and branding go to the heart of capitalism. Capitalism will take a stand to save a brand and the right of companies to brand in a certain way to sell products that people do not need or want or could do without and to make them sound attractive. In the case of cigarettes, which we all know are extremely damaging, the tobacco companies want to maintain their sacred capitalist right to be able to brand any product in any way they wish. This shows how the free market capitalist system operates in a way that runs counter to what is needed, namely, a generalised policy of opposition to the tobacco industry.

A previous speaker referred to methadone. There is nothing glamorous about methadone and no young person wants to be a methadone addict. Addiction is a slow process. People do not set out to become addicts. Addiction usually occurs because the activity in question makes a person feel good or glamorous or creates a feeling of bonding. The argument that packaging has no effect because smokers' only concern is smoking is wrong. Packaging adds to the allure of smoking and it is important for this reason that countries take a stance on the issue.

Most addiction relates to three areas, namely, tobacco, alcohol and food, a major problem to which previous speakers referred. Measures could be introduced to tackle addiction to alcohol, gambling and so forth, which are also glamorised. However, this is a specific measure with the specific aim, based on the fact that most people who smoke start smoking at a young age, of removing a certain association that has been created by the marketing and advertising industries.

It is sickening how much money is wasted marketing goods to people. This money could be spent creating things that society needs, for example, houses and hospitals. The amount of money spent on marketing should be challenged at all levels.

I am pleased to support this move towards plain packaging.

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