FINIAN MCGRATH believes he and his fellow smokers are soft targets and that it’s time for the government to lay off them.

The independent TD is an open supporter Castro regime and during an interesting discussion on Cuba – which you can watch in full here here – the subject of those famous cigars and smoking in bars came up.

In a week when the government committed to introducing plain packs in the face of legal threats from Big Tobacco, here’s what McGrath told TheJournal.ie about what he believes is the unfair targeting of smokers:

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

There will be more from our interview with Finian McGrath on TheJournal.ie this weekend

Read: Big Tobacco is threatening James Reilly but plain packs ‘will be in shops by May 2017’

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Why we should 'relax the smoking ban in bars and give smokers a break'

Read: Big Tobacco is threatening James Reilly but plain packs ‘will be in shops by May 2017’

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.