The Good Lobby has aided LILT – the Italian League for the Fight against Cancer in developing an effective lobbying strategy to challenge the exemption of Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) from tobacco regulations in Italy.
In recent years, heated tobacco products have been promoted as an alternative to conventional cigarettes because of their alleged reduced harm. However HTPs, like all tobacco products, still expose users to carcinogen emissions and there is an inadequate amount of evidence to suggest that they are less harmful than cigarettes.
In January 2005, the Sirchia legislation was passed in Italy banning smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces. However, HTPs are exempt from the aforementioned legislation as for the previous, effectively allowing HTPs to bypass regulations relating to tobacco such as taxes and health warnings on packaging. Among others, such exemptions from the tobacco ban can also cause disinformation among Italian consumers which might not be aware of the health complications they can generate.
The Italian League for the Fight against Cancer (LILT) has been campaigning for heated tobacco products to be regulated just like all other conventional tobacco merchandise as inherently toxic and carcinogenic. The Good Lobby was thus happy to assist them in 2020 in developing a lobbying strategy and work closely with the 2020 Master class of Economics and Management for non-profits organizations of Il Sole 24Ore Business School under the supervision of Professor and Policy Analyst Gianluca Sgueo.
The Case
Daniela contacted The Good Lobby to assist in their goal of building an effective lobbying campaign to stop HTPs exemptions in Italy. The Good Lobby was happy to support them in their cause and be part of a large collaboration promoted by Gianluca and his students at Il Sole 24Ore Business School.
Gianluca worked pro bono to set the preparatory foundations for his small group of students and The Good Lobby to push further the message advanced by LILT. The lobbying strategy also consisted of a comprehensive legislative research and stakeholder mapping to push forward their campaign.
The Outcome
Unfortunately, HTP products are still exempt from the Italian tobacco regulations. However, thanks to the work of Il Sole 24Ore Business School and The Good Lobby, LILT received several project analyses on the exemption of HTP products as well as vital information on lobbying and how to proceed in their campaigns to regulate tobacco- based products, raise awareness on the dangers on tobacco products, and promote more transparency for Italian consumers.
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