A report titled “E-Cigarette Regulatory Report: Italy Allows Online Domestic Sales” has been added to the ResearchAndMarkets.com archive and provides a detailed update on the Italian regulatory regime. The report covers everything from product and age restrictions, public use and notification to advertising, labeling and packaging, and taxation.

The new Italian government has taken an aggressive stance on tobacco harm reduction, easing various strict restrictions set by the previous parliament, such as allowing the online sale of e-cigarette products. That said, Italy still has one of the most stringent regulatory regimes in Europe.

Initially, vape stores were on the list of outlets to be closed, but award-winning Dr. Riccardo Polosa explained why it was absurd to keep tobacco stores open while closing outlets that sell safer alternatives. “I was a little angry. The next morning, I made a lot of statements,” Dr. Polosa said.

Dr. Polosa is the founder of the Center of Excellence for Accelerated Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) in Catania, Italy, and has published dozens of studies on topics related to e-cigarettes. In an interview with Filter, he explained why he believes it would be a mistake to keep tobacco stores open while closing e-cigarette stores.

“Thousands of e-cigarette users will be at risk of going back to smoking. In my opinion, this is a public health issue. In addition, many e-cigarette users with respiratory disease have had their symptoms reduced by e-cigarettes, and by stopping e-cigarettes we will see an increase in acute exacerbations of respiratory disease. It would be extremely detrimental to the NHS when ICU beds are occupied and not available for anything else,” explained Dr. Polosa at the time.