There is no more time to lose: the first smoke-free generation must come true. Because quitting smoking, or not starting at all, is an achievement for everyone and for the planet. For the Italian League for the Fight against Cancer, World No Tobacco Day has always been an opportunity to take stock of the habit of smoking and to relaunch its unconditional fight against smoking, starting from an assumption: The tobacco pandemic is the leading cause of preventable death.

Francesco Schittulli, National President of LILT: “World No Tobacco Day is one of the cornerstones of LILT’s annual cancer prevention program and is an opportunity to raise awareness of the evolution of tobacco consumption, especially among young people and especially among girls. The research on smoking data presented today shows us a cross-section of the choices and habits of smokers in the Lombardy region, proving to be a useful tool for better tailoring future initiatives to combat this phenomenon. And it is precisely from this precious contribution that we have decided to conduct a study that should cover the entire national territory, with the aim of strengthening close cooperation with the institutions towards the first smoke-free generation”-

“Although the fight against smoking has always been one of the main missions of the LILT and of the European Union itself, the current scenario, made more complicated by the introduction of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and the recent puff attacks, presents us with new challenges” adds the LILT president who says, “If these new devices initially presented themselves to the market as substitutes for the cigarette, they are now establishing themselves instead as choices of choice dictated primarily by the fashion of the moment. A fact that shows how much awareness of the risks of these new ways of smoking is still partial. The task of the LILT, in addition to supporting the initiatives proposed by the institutions, such as Minister Schillaci’s courageous endorsement of extending the smoking ban, is to continue to promote health education, through education and awareness courses dedicated to especially for schools. It is essential to spread prevention messages that take root in the hearts of young people, also given the importance that young people can have in encouraging a smoke-free lifestyle within the family for a longer and better life. Another fact that came out of the research that I think needs attention is that 70% of smokers have tried to quit at least once. An important percentage, which leads us to another challenge: to be able to intercept and guide with the right support of all people who show the will to stop».