Anyone who opposes legislation is doing so at expense of child health, Conference told

The Irish Cancer Society has reiterated its support for the legislation for standardised/plain tobacco packaging at today’s European Week against Cancer conference.

Kathleen O’Meara, Head of Advocacy and Communications, Irish Cancer Society, said “Anyone who opposes this legislation is doing so at the expense of child health. The legislation is not so much targeting current smokers but protecting children from a future cancer diagnosis. The effect that marketing and advertising of tobacco on children is well documented so this legislation will remove the last opportunity for tobacco branding in the near future.”

Addressing the conference, Jonathan Liberman, Director, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, Australia, and a member of the Australian government’s Expert Advisory Group on Plain Packaging, advised the conference on how Australia became the first country in the world to implement this legislation. This included strong political leadership and engagement from the whole government; a strong evidence base demonstrating the likely impact of implementing standardised/plain packaging; strong advocacy from cancer and other health NGOs; building on a history of strong tobacco control and de-normalisation of the tobacco industry; public support; strong legal capacity; and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Liberman said, “Standardised packaging legislation was the next step in over forty years of tobacco control. In Australia, following implementation, we saw an immediate rise in calls to the national smoking quit line. We are currently evaluating the impact that the legislation and we’re confident that it will play a significant role in reducing the number of future smokers, ultimately protecting children from taking up smoking in years and decades to come.”

Liberman added, “It is possible to achieve standardised tobacco packaging and I congratulate Minister Reilly and the Irish government on announcing this new legislation. There will be a vigorous response from the tobacco industry like the one we have withstood in Australia. We are happy to share our experiences with Ireland and help the nation in its fight against both tobacco and cancer. The announcement of this legislation shows that the lobbying of the tobacco industry has been ineffective. This is a major step in the fight against tobacco and against cancer.  However, it is important to note that it is only one part of an overall effort to reduce cancer and other diseases caused by tobacco. “

Kathleen O’Meara, Irish Cancer Society, added, “It’s clear from the introduction of plain or standardized packaging in Australia that collaboration between stakeholders is required to deliver this legislation in Ireland. The Irish Cancer Society stands shoulder to shoulder with the Minister for Health James Reilly in bringing about the collaboration and effort needed in Ireland. The Irish Cancer Society continues to lead the way in tobacco control as we move towards a future without cancer. The European Week Against Cancer conference is just one example of the collaboration that is required.”

Tomorrow, Friday, 31 May 2013, is World No Tobacco Day.