Health Minister James Reilly wants to see an increase in the price of cigarettes every year for the next five years so that people “think long and hard before they drag long and hard”.
Reilly said today that he would continue to fight “the scourge of tobacco” even if he is reshuffled out of the Department of Health next week as is widely expected.
The minister’s ‘war on tobacco’ has been widely praised with plans for Ireland to become one of the few countries in the world to introduce plain packaging provided it can overcome legal challenges from tobacco companies.
Speaking this morning, Reilly said he would ultimately like to see a situation where each cigarette costs €1. A standard packet of 20 cigarettes currently costs between €9.40 and €9.60.
Source: Hugh O'Connell, thejournal.ie, 03/07/14
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