Michelle - YOUR LETTERS: Michelle YOUR LETTERS The Minister should

pounds 100 LETTERIN last week's Irish Sunday Mirror, the Minister for Health, Micheal Martin, made a compelling argument for an all out war on the tobacco industry.

The editorial on the same page also claimed that in view of the disturbing amount of deaths from smoking related-diseases - 7,000 a year or 19 people a day - the government is having a radical rethink on how to tackle this problem.

I believe that the government is being hypocritical, because for years they have been raking in millions in taxes on cigarette sales.

Indeed, successive Finance Ministers, come budget time, could never resist putting an extra 5p on a packet of 20.

In view of this, maybe Micheal Martin should start putting "our" money where his mouth is and should begin reinvesting in a programme for smokers to quit this deadly habit.

Tobacco, as we all know, is the most addictive drug on the market and people addicted need help through government-funded health schemes.

Mrs C Sims, Careys Road, Limerick

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