Tobacco.org

Shopkeeper and cigarette giant unite to fight Irish tobacco law  

A County Donegal shopkeeper will join forces with cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris tomorrow to legally challenge Ireland's ban on the display of tobacco products in shops.

A lawsuit will be filed at the high court in Dublin by Philip Morris Limited, Philip Morris Products SA and Donegal Town shopkeeper Maurice Timony.

Timony and the multinational are seeking to overturn the ban on the grounds that it severely restricts their ability to provide trade and violates Irish and EU constitutional law.

Ireland imposed its ban on the display of tobacco products in shops in July. Similar bans exist in Iceland and some provinces of Canada, and the British government is considering whether to join them.

Timony said he should be entitled to display the products which the Irish government has given him a licence to sell.

"The country is swamped in legislation that is making life very difficult for compliant retailers like me. The ban on the display of cigarettes is just one example of a piece of over-regulation that has negatively affected my business," he said. "As a law-abiding retailer, I have a responsibility to my employees to make sure that I can continue to employ them going forward. Simply put, enough is enough."

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The country is swamped in legislation that is making life very difficult for compliant retailers like me. The ban on the display of cigarettes is just one example of a piece of over-regulation that has negatively affected my business. As a law-abiding retailer, I have a responsibility to my employees to make sure that I can continue to employ them going forward.
Donegal Town shopkeeper Maurice Timony--the local presence Philip Morris partnered with to bring a lawsuit in Ireland--sounding just like a corporate press release.