Italy May Not Ban E-Cigarettes in Public Places

According to reports from Chinese e-cigarette news, a provision in the education law passed in June 2013 and approved in October has opened the door for the use of e-cigarettes in public places. It is reported that Article 4.25 of the education law, approved by the Parliamentary Culture Committee led by Giancarlo Galan (of the Freedom Party) on October 23, breaks the previous ban on smoking in public places as stipulated in Article 51, Clause 10b of the Sirchia Law. The Italian parliamentary publication "Public Policy" discovered this loophole after an in-depth study of the law on November 8: this provision exempts e-cigarettes from the traditional smoking ban. However, the new education law still prohibits the use of e-cigarettes within schools. Galan stated that this is "not a mistake" but a correction of "excessive anti-smoking policies," especially regarding advertising. He explained to Ansa News Agency that this provision aims to amend the overly strict regulations introduced in July, which not only prohibit advertising related to e-cigarettes on glass windows but are even stricter than those for traditional tobacco, while the original intention was merely to treat e-cigarettes on par with traditional tobacco. "This is a call from a brand new and rapidly developing industry that is also heavily taxed," Galan added, "As a former smoker, I won't comment on the harm research results of e-cigarettes, although Professor Veronese's latest research shows that the benefits of e-cigarettes outweigh the harms. I just hope this new industry is not hindered by unreasonable regulations." Sirchia—former Minister of Health, Chairman of the National Tobacco Advisory Council, and proposer of the 2003 anti-smoking law, Girolamo Sirchia expressed his "deep surprise" at the news that e-cigarettes would not be subject to the smoking ban. "First, there were exorbitant taxes, and now it seems like compensation," Sirchia stated, "Opening the door for e-cigarettes in public places and advertising is a poor image." He also mentioned, "If it is for quitting smoking, I support e-cigarettes. Although their nicotine harm is less than that of traditional tobacco, we cannot force those around us to inhale 'secondhand smoke' containing nicotine." Sirchia concluded, "Although the die is cast, we hope there is still room for correction." Magaranchina—Chairman of the Italian National Protection Association and Professor of Tobacco Issues at Rome University, Giacomo Magaranchina stated, "The old smoking ban still has legal effects, so we firmly oppose the new regulation." He said, "A law beneficial to public health has been removed. I know this law is limited, but it forces those around to inhale secondhand smoke, even though its nicotine content is 20 times lower than traditional tobacco, it still contains harmful substances like PM10 and PM2.5, as we found in joint research with the Federasma Association and the BPCO Association. Sirchia's smoking ban made Italy one of the top ten smoke-free countries in Europe in 2003, but due to a lack of funding, China's smoking ban ranking has continuously declined." Magaranchina believes that it may be necessary to continue prohibiting the display of e-cigarette advertisements: "Air quality is very important. Operators have a responsibility to ensure air health just as they do for food hygiene." Magaranchina finally stated that although this "smoke" is not the same as that "smoke," "it is still not pleasant to smoke on a bus or in a restaurant."