The event was called “Electronic cigarette and damage reduction: a potential step forward for European health”, and featured a number of renowned speakers amongst which Agnieszka Kozakiewicz from the European Commission, Professor Riccardo Polosa from the Institute of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology at University of Catania, and Linda Bauld, a Professor of Health Policy and Dean of Research (Impact) at the University of Stirling.
“Use of e-cigarettes in the world is growing continuously. However, Europe is falling behind. It is essential that Europe exploits the potential of this technology to reduce the impact of smoking on European Public Health. For this reason, the Italian Anti-Smoking League (Lega Italiana Anti Fumo – LIAF), hosted by MEP Giovanni La Via (former Chair of the ENVI Committee), is bringing experts and policymakers to the European Parliament to discuss the benefits of electronic cigarettes,” said LIAF in a statement.
“Though this is a very important public health issue, the discussion has been absent from the European agenda. With cigarettes killing more than half a million smokers a month globally and almost 6 million Europeans now using e-cigarettes to move away from smoking, providing scientific evidence to shift the balance from an ‘abstinence-only’ agenda to a harm reduction strategy is vital in bringing down smoking deaths.”
LIAF keeps working at disseminating the latest research
Back In 2016, the LIAF, had announced the creation of an international Scientific Committee in support of electronic cigarettes in the field of public health. Composed of a number of internationally renowned researchers, the committee not only promotes electronic cigarettes as harm reduction alternatives, but led by award winning Prof Polosa, it also undertakes research and strives to correct information based on scientific evidence.
“Today, professionalism, experience and specialization of each of us come together, with the aim to disseminate and comment on the latest scientific evidence on the research applied to the electronic cigarette and placing itself as an authoritative and critical reference in the media context and Italian science,” read a statement by the Committee at the time.
