'Stark' report reveals tobacco related illnesses kill nearly 100 people a week in Ireland

A new report from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has said nearly 100 people in Ireland die every week from tobacco related illnesses.

Dubbed an "urgent call to action" to move to a tobacco-free society, the new report, written by the organisation's clinical advisory group on smoking and e-cigarettes, reveals that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the country and leads to more harm than alcohol, drugs and accidents combined.

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Chairman of the clinical advisory group, Prof Paul Kavanagh, said Ireland is at a "critical juncture" when it comes to fighting tobacco use.

"Ireland led the way globally with the introduction of the national workplace smoking ban," he said, "but in recent years our progress has stalled with almost one in five people still smoking.

"It's time for Government to lead again and to focus on elimination of tobacco harm for once and for all," he added.

The report also revealed that there are more than 4,500 tobacco related deaths in Ireland every year, along with almost 1,000 hospitalisations every week while every day 10 people are diagnosed with cancer caused by smoking.

The report has outlined 21 recommendations for Government to become a tobacco free society by 2035, including calls to ban all tobacco related advertisements and maximising health warnings on tobacco products.

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Calls have also been made to Government to end the sale of tobacco entirely for future generations, with Prof Kavanagh highlighting the billions of euro tobacco related illnesses are costing the State.

"The statistics are stark," he continued, "but these are not just statistics, they are people, many of whom would not be ill or dying if it was not for smoking or passive smoking.

"Most people who smoke wish they had never started and there is strong public support for meaningful Government action," he added.

"Stalled reductions in smoking rates and the continuing scale of harm caused by tobacco products mean we have no time to waste. Ireland has led the world before in its efforts to tackle tobacco harm. It's time to lead again."