Oncologists: Parliament should speed up the process for the bill to increase the price of cigarettes

With just a few weeks to go before the 50,000 signatures required by the Constitution to bring the citizens’ initiative bill on increasing the price of tobacco products before Parliament are reached, the organisers of the “5 euros against smoking” campaign are urging the institutions to act promptly. “We are calling for the bill to be placed on the Senate’s agenda and debated in the Chamber as soon as possible,” say the organisers of the initiative – Aiom, the AIRC Foundation, the Umberto Veronesi Foundation and the Aiom Foundation – who held a press conference on the subject today.

The campaign gathered over 52,000 signatures in four months, which were handed over to the Senate. “Within three months, in accordance with the regulations, we expect the bill to be examined and a date set for its presentation to the Senate,” emphasise the president of the Aiom Foundation Francesco Perrone, the managing director of the Airc Foundation Daniele Finocchiaro, Giulia Veronesi, a member of the Anti-Smoking Committee of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, and the president of Aiom (Italian Association of Medical Oncology) Massimo Di Maio.
In Italia, an estimated 93,000 deaths per year are attributable to smoking, whilst the associated economic costs amount to 23 billion euros per year. “In Italy, the average price of cigarettes is around 6 euros, which is very low compared to the rest of Europe,” emphasises Silvano Gallus, head of the Lifestyle Research Laboratory at the Mario Negri Institute. According to the WHO and the World Bank, a significant price increase is the best course of action. It is important that the measure applies to all tobacco-related products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.”

“Despite increasingly restrictive regulations, over 10 million people in our country smoke regularly,” adds Perrone. “What is particularly alarming is how widespread smoking is amongst the very young. More than 10 per cent of under-19s are smokers, and of these, one in ten already smokes more than half a packet a day.” “Smoking is not only responsible for numerous cancers but is also the main risk factor for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” explains Veronesi. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A person who smokes throughout their life has a 50 per cent chance of dying from a smoking-related illness.” According to Finocchiaro, “funding cancer research also means promoting a culture of prevention”. ”. “Lung cancer is a prime example of the danger posed by cigarettes and is, in fact, responsible for 85–90 per cent of all cases recorded in Italia,” says Di Maio. “But there are other lifestyle factors associated with health risks, such as alcohol consumption, a sedentary lifestyle or being overweight. These too must be tackled through both legislative measures and public awareness campaigns. It was important to start with smoking, but we certainly do not intend to stop there.”

The initiative’s promoters are optimistic and hope to see a repeat of what happened with the ‘right to be forgotten’ law: “We call for a strong and responsible commitment from the Senate to ensure the bill is debated swiftly and passed with the unanimous support of all parliamentary groups,” they conclude.