ONE SCANDAL ISN'T BEING COVERED

EVERY day the tobacco industry needs to recruit at least 25 new
smokers in order to maintain its current market share. Hence, the
recent scandal - where an Irish based tobacco company, PJ Carroll's
Tobacco Ltd, made available to students of UCD Law Society free
cigarettes - is a matter of grave concern.

It has been acknowledged that this practice, which has been ongoing
for a number of years, is illegal.

The involvement of the UCD Law Society in this scandal underlines how
vulnerable and naive the students were in their dealings with PJ
Carroll's Tobacco Ltd. The role of PJ Carroll's in this scandal is
another matter entirely. The legislation which prohibits the free
distribution of cigarettes is clear and unambiguous and has been on
the statute books for many years. Yet, PJ Carroll's was prepared to
deliberately break the law and to implicate the students in
lawbreaking in order to achieve its objectives: the promotion of its
cigarettes and the buying of goodwill towards the industry from the
student population.

Once PJ Carroll's was identified as the culprit, it immediately went
to ground, refusing to make any comment, especially an apology. This
is standard practice for the tobacco industry, sit tight and the media
will go away and the story will die.

The Minister for Health and Children is charged with enforcing the law
on the promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. A clear and
public message needs to be sent to the tobacco industry in this
country that our laws are not to be ignored by the industry. How PJ
Carroll's is dealt with as a result of its contempt for the Minister's
authority should be followed closely.

Over the last few years there have been many scandals unearthed in
this country involving the beef industry, the contamination of blood
products, planning decisions, banking irregularities and the funding
of politicians, to name but a few. In each case the role of the media
has been crucial in making sure that we know who is involved and to
some degree what that involvement was. Without good investigative
journalism much of what has been unearthed would have remained hidden.

Unfortunately, the one scandal that seems to escape any real
investigation is the death of 6,500 Irish people every year from
tobacco-related diseases and who exactly profits from so much misery.
Just who are the godfathers of the tobacco industry in Ireland? There
could be a Journalist of the Year award in the wings for some budding
journalist. Any takers?

Dr Fenton Howell, European Medical Association Smoking or Health, 1,
Victoria Terrace, Laytown, Co. Meath. dr.fhowell@securemail.ie

Checked-by: Patrick Henry