Raising excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by a further 50 cents, with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products, is a "massive own goal" says Forest Ireland. Spokesman John Mallon said: "Raising excise duty on tobacco is a massive own goal by government....
2019 News Releases
Implying that smokers are a financial burden to society is “dishonest” and “economically illiterate” says Forest
Forest has criticised new data that allegedly shows smoking in England cost £12.5 billion in 2018. According to an ‘online tool’ developed by the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), smoking in England cost society ‘at least £12.5bn in 2018’. Simon...
Ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be a “massive own goal”
Campaigners have reacted with fury to a call by Senator James Reilly to ban flavoured e-cigarettes in Ireland. John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Ireland, which defends the rights of adults to smoke and vape, said: "A ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be a grossly...
Ireland: ‘Butt Out’ campaign aims to stop cigarette vending machine ban
Campaigners have urged Minister for Health Simon Harris to drop plans for a ban on the sale of tobacco products from self-service vending machines. Launching the ‘Butt Out’ campaign, the smokers’ group Forest Ireland says the proposed policy is a further “nanny...
Poll: Public split on effectiveness of tobacco control laws
The public is split on the effectiveness of tobacco control laws introduced by the UK government between 2010 and 2016. A poll of 2,057 adults conducted by Populus for the smokers’ group Forest found that only 30 per cent of adults in Great Britain think the ban on...
Ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be “criminal”, says Forest
Responding to reports that President Trump is calling for a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes in America, Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: “In the land of the free, consumer choice should be paramount. Prohibition never works and a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes will...
Budget 2020: “Give smokers a break” says Forest Ireland
Forest Ireland has called on the government to reject calls to raise the price of a packet of cigarettes to €20 a pack by 2025 and “give smokers a break”. In its pre-Budget submission to the government, the smokers’ group points out that, following last year’s 50c...
Report: War on smoking is an attack on civil liberties that threatens us all
The war on smoking is an attack on civil liberties that threatens smokers and non-smokers alike, says a new report published today to mark the 40th anniversary of the smokers’ group Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco). ‘40 Years of...
In This Section
Mission & Vision
Mission
Forest’s mission is to protect the interests of adults who choose to smoke or consume tobacco.
Our key aims and objectives are to:
- counteract the “denormalisation” of smoking, and smokers
- prevent further restrictions on the purchase and consumption of tobacco
- establish closer links with other tobacco-friendly groups at home and abroad
- build support among consumers of tobacco and other similarly threatened groups
- highlight the increasingly intrusive nature of Big Government in the lives of private individuals