Irish Cancer Society launches anti-smoking campaign

Irish Cancer Society launches anti-smoking campaign

Irish teenagers will be the target of a new campaign aimed at reducing the number of young people who smoke in the Republic.

Called Teens Are Stupid, the campaign will centre around Corporate Tobacco Man - a fictional character representing the tobacco industry.

He will be starring in cinema advertising, marketing on the campaign website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a YouTube channel.

From Friday July 9th, there will also be art installations in Irish shopping centres with cryptic messages designed to avert teenagers away from smoking.

Jane Curtin of the Irish Cancer Society said the tobacco industry has always maintained that it does not "set out to target young people", however, documents have shown the industry considers the "recruitment" of teenagers as "essential to its survival".

The industry in Ireland needs more than 50 young people to begin smoking every single day to "remain viable", she said.

Ms Curtin added that the point of Corporate Tobacco Man was to show "how he reaches out to teenagers and subtly manipulates them to adopt a dangerous and expensive addiction to nicotine and a lifelong habit that often leads to ill health and premature death".

According to the Irish Department of Health and Children, 7,000 people die from smoking-related diseases each year in Ireland.