The Health Minister has vowed to win the war against the tobacco industry as he moves to enforce the standardised packaging of cigarettes.
Dr James Reilly said he wants cigarette firms to try and defend themselves at the Oireachtas health committee, which will receive the heads of bill for the new law in the coming weeks.
Ireland aims to become the second country in the world to force tobacco manufacturers to use unbranded boxes emblazoned with graphic images of the effects of smoking.
Dr Reilly said the law is on target to be enforced by mid 2014 following "robust debates" between committee members and campaigners.
"I hope that the tobacco industry come in to defend their position because I don't believe they have a position to defend other than the position of profit, and it should never be a case of profit over lives or quality of life," he said.
Under the reform cigarette boxes will be a generic size and colour, and will only feature the brand name on the bottom and a large picture showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, like rotting lungs.
The legislation will ban logos, branding, colours, graphics and trademarks from cigarette packets, making Ireland only the second country to do so after Australia.
Source: Irish Independent, 20/09/13
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