Smoking ‘facts’

The objection of Ash Scotland’s Sheila Duffy (Letters, 27 August) to others “parroting bogus facts” graphically epitomises the old saw about pots and kettles.

As with so many other taxpayer-funded campaign groups, Ash Scotland’s function is to provide government with the “facts” it wants to proceed with new laws.

That allows it to avoid requiring real evidence of conclusions reached from dodgy research and unsubstantiated claims.

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It might otherwise be asked for verifiable statistics of the numbers of children who actually took up smoking because of ­“attractive” packaging, suffer from smokers in cars or are at risk from smokers in play parks.

How many actual recorded
instances exist of proven damage to health from so-called ­secondary inhalation?

The only genuine research I have come across clearly suggests there is none.

I note that in the last financial year, 75 per cent of Ash 
Scotland’s income was expended on staff salaries. Value for money?

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent