Speaking at the launch of this report, Mary Cunningham, Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland, said that youth smoking carries real risks for the young people themselves as well as society at large.

"According to the US Surgeon General, teens who smoke are three times more likely as non-smokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. The expenditure figures from this report show that young people who smoke, also spend more on alcohol than the average young person, confirming in Ireland one element of the US Surgeon General’s findings”.