Anti smoking group ASH and it's chairman Luke Clancy are less than pleased with Irish smokers who continue to smoke in increasing numbers despite the smoking ban and incessant hysteric rhetoric of the anti smoking campaigns. The professor now demands that smokers be punished with a €2 price increase on a 20 pack of cigarettes for disobeying his will and ignoring the expensive campaigns he urged the government to undertake. Recent official figures have revealed smoking prevalence in Ireland to be at 24% and on the increase since the imposition of Ireland's draconian smoking ban.

Cigarette prices in Ireland are already amongst the highest in Europe and Prof. Clancy of ASH now demands they be increased even further. If he were to get his way smokers will have to fork out at least €8.50 a time when purchasing a pack of twenty. The poor and vulnerable would as usual be the hardest hit. ASH and Clancy acknowledge that a higher incidence of smoking exists amongst the less well off in society yet cares little about bashing them with a huge price increase.

It seems Prof Clancy is desperate to maintain the facade of Ireland's so called successful smoking ban.   According to Clancy " The rest of the world looks to Ireland now and measures their tobacco control initiatives against us" The problem Prof. Clancy faces is that were the smoking ban the success he claims it to be less people would be smoking in Ireland and this is not the case. The logic of the ban dictates that if people have less opportunity to smoke in places such as work, pubs, clubs and restaurants people will smoke less and less people will smoke. However, smoking prevalence is on the increase in Ireland which brings into serious question the so called smoking ban success and health benefits it was supposed to deliver.

Clancy uncharacteristically acknowledges the ban is in trouble and has said " The lip service about Ireland becoming a smoke free society will go out the window if measures don't continue to be brought forward." The drastic price increase he has demanded of the government in the forthcoming budget is just one such measure. The budget is due in December and a €2 increase in the price of a twenty pack of cigarettes is not a Christmas present smokers will be thankful for.