Post-Lockdown Italy: Govt Urges Vape Shops to Stay Open Amid Smoking Fears
Italy became the country hardest hit by the pandemic outside China. After the first confirmed COVID-19 case appeared in Lombardy, the outbreak quickly spread across the country. At the time of writing, Italy had nearly 28,000 confirmed cases and more than
Post-Lockdown Italy: Government Urges Vape Shops to Stay Open Amid Smoking Fears. Italy has become the country with the second most severe COVID-19 outbreak in the world, after China. Since the first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia was reported in Lombardy, the epidemic has rapidly spread to other regions of the country. As of the time of writing, Italy has nearly 28,000 confirmed cases and over 2,100 deaths. With a high number of patients requiring intensive care, the national healthcare infrastructure in Italy is under immense pressure.
To curb the spread of the epidemic, the Italian government has implemented some of the strictest measures globally, such as banning all public gatherings, closing schools, and requiring most businesses, including bars and restaurants, to cease operations. Initially, the list of closures also included vape shops, but this ban has now been lifted. For this, the country owes special thanks to one person.
"I was a bit angry, and the next day I made some statements."
Dr. Riccardo Polosa, a renowned scientist and researcher in Italy, is dedicated to studying how to reduce the harm of e-cigarettes and tobacco products. Dr. Polosa is the founder of the Center of Excellence for the Reduction of Harm (CoEHAR) in Catania, Italy, and has published dozens of research papers on sub-cigarettes. Recently, Dr. Polosa was interviewed by Filter video regarding the business closure ban during the pandemic in Italy and its impact on cigarette and e-cigarette users.
The interviewer was Helen Redmond, and the respondent was Riccardo Polosa.
Q: How many people use e-cigarettes in Italy?
A: Nearly 1 million people use e-cigarettes, while about 16 million smoke cigarettes.
Q: The Italian government recently closed most shops, including vape shops. How was this decision reversed?
A: On March 11, our Prime Minister Conte announced a complete suspension of all commercial activities, including bars and restaurants, with the exception of pharmacies, supermarkets, newsstands, and tobacco shops.
I was a bit angry, and the next day I made some statements. I believed that allowing tobacco shops to operate while banning vape shops was a very wrong decision for a simple reason: in a highly anxious and tense situation, when people are confined at home, they tend to smoke more, exposing many others to the risks of secondhand smoke, especially infants.
Most importantly, there are hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users in Italy, and due to the stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, they might revert to smoking cigarettes when cravings hit. From a public health perspective, I find this very dangerous. I raised this issue with the government:
"Hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users are at risk of returning to cigarettes."
I contacted the most important organization of e-cigarette and e-liquid manufacturers in Italy—the National Association of E-Cigarettes (ANAFE), which has political connections with the government. Through the e-cigarette association, I raised these issues and pointed out the fact that smokers could not choose lower-risk products, which is extremely unfair.
Most importantly, hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users might revert to smoking cigarettes. I believe this has become a public health issue. Additionally, many e-cigarette users with respiratory diseases have seen improvements in their symptoms through vaping. If they stop using e-cigarettes, we will likely see an increase in the worsening of these patients' conditions. In the current situation where ICU beds are overwhelmed, this would put immense pressure on the national healthcare system.
E-cigarette users with respiratory diseases have achieved significant health improvements through vaping, and if they revert to smoking, their conditions will worsen.
Q: What happened next?
A: On March 13, the Italian Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister clarified that, in addition to tobacco shops, vape shops could also continue to operate to meet the needs of e-cigarette users. This change may have been due to tax issues related to e-cigarette products, but in a situation where the country is losing billions of dollars, I believe tax revenue is not the main reason.
The government was very receptive to feedback, which I was very pleased about. A few days later, the government responded and stated that vape shops could continue to operate.
This is great news!
This indicates that, without ideological issues, the government has genuinely recognized the benefits of e-cigarettes compared to cigarettes.
Q: Were you the only one to raise this issue and make calls?
A: I don't think I have that much influence, but many people are willing to listen to me. Because in this situation, I try to assess things objectively, so people trust me. Of course, there were others who contributed to this process as well. Most importantly, the government acted quickly to ensure that vape shops reopened soon.
We have set an example for the world: even though our government's attitude towards e-cigarette products has been inconsistent, its performance during the COVID-19 outbreak has been quite proactive. The government is very attentive to the needs of Italian e-cigarette users and recognizes the importance and relative safety of using e-cigarettes.
Q: In the U.S., some people believe that using cigarettes or e-cigarettes increases the risk of contracting COVID-19.
A: There is no evidence to support this; it is merely subjective speculation.
Q: Your research shows that traditional smokers improve their health after switching to e-cigarettes.
Q: We have conducted extensive research on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and hypertension patients and found relevant evidence: all these patients (especially those with COPD) have experienced sustained health improvements.
In research on reducing tobacco harm, there is a challenge in proving risk reduction within a reasonable timeframe, as this effect may take decades to manifest. However, if we observe those who have already fallen ill due to smoking, especially those in the early stages, it is easier to see the health improvements they experience by switching to lower-risk products.
For example, for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we found that if they only use e-cigarettes, their respiratory systems will experience some subjective and objective improvements. We refer to this as harm reversal rather than risk reduction because they already have the disease, so the risk has not decreased. However, their risk of developing other diseases caused by smoking, such as cardiovascular disease or cancer, may decrease.
What I want to say is that this is good news for those who already have smoking-related diseases. They can personally feel the beneficial effects of switching to e-cigarettes.
To curb the spread of the epidemic, the Italian government has implemented some of the strictest measures globally, such as banning all public gatherings, closing schools, and requiring most businesses, including bars and restaurants, to cease operations. Initially, the list of closures also included vape shops, but this ban has now been lifted. For this, the country owes special thanks to one person.
"I was a bit angry, and the next day I made some statements."
Dr. Riccardo Polosa, a renowned scientist and researcher in Italy, is dedicated to studying how to reduce the harm of e-cigarettes and tobacco products. Dr. Polosa is the founder of the Center of Excellence for the Reduction of Harm (CoEHAR) in Catania, Italy, and has published dozens of research papers on sub-cigarettes. Recently, Dr. Polosa was interviewed by Filter video regarding the business closure ban during the pandemic in Italy and its impact on cigarette and e-cigarette users.
The interviewer was Helen Redmond, and the respondent was Riccardo Polosa.
Q: How many people use e-cigarettes in Italy?
A: Nearly 1 million people use e-cigarettes, while about 16 million smoke cigarettes.
Q: The Italian government recently closed most shops, including vape shops. How was this decision reversed?
A: On March 11, our Prime Minister Conte announced a complete suspension of all commercial activities, including bars and restaurants, with the exception of pharmacies, supermarkets, newsstands, and tobacco shops.
I was a bit angry, and the next day I made some statements. I believed that allowing tobacco shops to operate while banning vape shops was a very wrong decision for a simple reason: in a highly anxious and tense situation, when people are confined at home, they tend to smoke more, exposing many others to the risks of secondhand smoke, especially infants.
Most importantly, there are hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users in Italy, and due to the stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, they might revert to smoking cigarettes when cravings hit. From a public health perspective, I find this very dangerous. I raised this issue with the government:
"Hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users are at risk of returning to cigarettes."
I contacted the most important organization of e-cigarette and e-liquid manufacturers in Italy—the National Association of E-Cigarettes (ANAFE), which has political connections with the government. Through the e-cigarette association, I raised these issues and pointed out the fact that smokers could not choose lower-risk products, which is extremely unfair.
Most importantly, hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users might revert to smoking cigarettes. I believe this has become a public health issue. Additionally, many e-cigarette users with respiratory diseases have seen improvements in their symptoms through vaping. If they stop using e-cigarettes, we will likely see an increase in the worsening of these patients' conditions. In the current situation where ICU beds are overwhelmed, this would put immense pressure on the national healthcare system.
E-cigarette users with respiratory diseases have achieved significant health improvements through vaping, and if they revert to smoking, their conditions will worsen.
Q: What happened next?
A: On March 13, the Italian Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister clarified that, in addition to tobacco shops, vape shops could also continue to operate to meet the needs of e-cigarette users. This change may have been due to tax issues related to e-cigarette products, but in a situation where the country is losing billions of dollars, I believe tax revenue is not the main reason.
The government was very receptive to feedback, which I was very pleased about. A few days later, the government responded and stated that vape shops could continue to operate.
This is great news!
This indicates that, without ideological issues, the government has genuinely recognized the benefits of e-cigarettes compared to cigarettes.
Q: Were you the only one to raise this issue and make calls?
A: I don't think I have that much influence, but many people are willing to listen to me. Because in this situation, I try to assess things objectively, so people trust me. Of course, there were others who contributed to this process as well. Most importantly, the government acted quickly to ensure that vape shops reopened soon.
We have set an example for the world: even though our government's attitude towards e-cigarette products has been inconsistent, its performance during the COVID-19 outbreak has been quite proactive. The government is very attentive to the needs of Italian e-cigarette users and recognizes the importance and relative safety of using e-cigarettes.
Q: In the U.S., some people believe that using cigarettes or e-cigarettes increases the risk of contracting COVID-19.
A: There is no evidence to support this; it is merely subjective speculation.
Q: Your research shows that traditional smokers improve their health after switching to e-cigarettes.
Q: We have conducted extensive research on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and hypertension patients and found relevant evidence: all these patients (especially those with COPD) have experienced sustained health improvements.
In research on reducing tobacco harm, there is a challenge in proving risk reduction within a reasonable timeframe, as this effect may take decades to manifest. However, if we observe those who have already fallen ill due to smoking, especially those in the early stages, it is easier to see the health improvements they experience by switching to lower-risk products.
For example, for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we found that if they only use e-cigarettes, their respiratory systems will experience some subjective and objective improvements. We refer to this as harm reversal rather than risk reduction because they already have the disease, so the risk has not decreased. However, their risk of developing other diseases caused by smoking, such as cardiovascular disease or cancer, may decrease.
What I want to say is that this is good news for those who already have smoking-related diseases. They can personally feel the beneficial effects of switching to e-cigarettes.
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