Tobacco lobby’s counterfeit argument

Yet this dramatic claim quickly falls apart under the briefest examination.

After a long and loud campaign telling their members that counterfeit tobacco is damaging local shops, the TRA asked shopkeepers whether they thought their shop was at risk of closing due to counterfeit and smuggled tobacco.

We are not told how those involved made sure of an unbiased sample or whether they just relied on their existing friends and contacts.

Of those who responded, 92 were from Scotland.

So the dramatic “one in ten” headline is based on nine individuals across Scotland giving their personal opinion.

Why would the TRA make so much of such flimsy evidence, and then use it to argue against the level of tax on cigarettes?

Why would its spokesperson claim that tobacco smuggling “continues to worsen” when the figures from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs actually show the illegal market has been declining for at least a decade?

Perhaps the answer is that the Tobacco Retailers Alliance is paid for by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco, three of the world’s largest tobacco companies.

Funnily enough, a quick glance at the group’s website makes it perfectly clear that the TRA’s primary role is to argue against the regulation of tobacco. If only the tobacco companies felt able to come forward and argue their own case, rather than hide behind front groups, then we might at least be able to have a more honest debate.

Sheila Duffy

Chief Executive

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) Scotland

Frederick Street

Edinburgh