There are 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide, responsible for more than 7 million deaths each year, including around 1.6 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke (WHO). Alongside traditional cigarettes, the use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and poly-substance consumption (nicotine, alcohol and cannabis) is also increasing, particularly among the very young.
Against this backdrop, UniCamillus is organising the conference ‘Substances of abuse, new tobacco products and prevention’, sponsored by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) and featuring experts in pharmacology, toxicology and neuroscience. The aim is to examine the latest evidence on the systemic harm caused by these substances and the prevention strategies aimed at younger generations.
New addictions, health risks and the scientific evidence
“The picture emerging from the latest international and European data reveals a truly worrying trend for our young people: in Europe, around one in three teenagers has tried traditional cigarettes and over 40% have tried e-cigarettes at least once, according to ESPAD data”, warns Gianni Profita, Rector of UniCamillus, who opened the event with an official address. “In Italy, ISS-HBSC surveys indicate that around 13% of adolescents use e-cigarettes, whilst tobacco use affects almost one in five young people, with an increasingly evident trend towards poly-substance use involving nicotine, alcohol and cannabis”.
The implications of these figures are devastating. “Scientific literature confirms that around 30% of cancer deaths are attributable to tobacco”, states Luisa Petraccia, UniCamillus lecturer in Internal Medicine and scientific coordinator of the event. “In Italy, AIOM estimates around 33,569 smoking-related cancer deaths in men and 9,922 in women each year, with an average reduction in life expectancy of around 12 years for smokers compared to non-smokers”.
Petraccia also points out that the 2020 Surgeon General Report has broadened the scope of smoking-related cancers, including not only the classic sites but also the stomach, colorectal tract, liver, kidney, cervix and acute myeloid leukaemia. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of cancer, and giving up smoking is the most effective form of primary prevention.
Social impact, crime and prevention
The world of addiction is linked not only to disease but also to crime. “The approximately 1,000 narcotic substances currently on the market, with around 50 new substances identified each year, make the classification of drugs and the distinction between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ drugs increasingly complex, as many current substances are highly dangerous”, states Antonio Pignataro, former Police Commissioner of the Republic and General Director of the Police Force, now an advisor to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and author of the keynote report for this meeting. “Experiences of cannabis legalisation in some countries show an increase in A&E visits, fights and crime, over 100,000 deaths annually, and a rise in healthcare costs. According to available data, in Italy approximately 70–80% of crimes, 70–80% of domestic disputes, and a proportion of femicides are linked to the use of narcotic substances. In light of these factors, the fight against drugs must be tackled through prevention, information and the protection of public health, with the aim of safeguarding younger generations and strengthening social security”.
“The figures on cancer incidence and crime remain particularly alarming, and the academic and scientific communities are called upon to remain vigilant, with a commitment that directly concerns the training of future medical practitioners, who will be required to deal with new forms of addiction and their clinical, preventive and educational complexities at an increasingly early stage, thereby reinforcing an evidence-based approach”, concludes Professor Profita.
Conference moderators and speakers
Moderators participating in the conference include: Dr Andrea Mastrostefano, Senior Medical Officer specialising in Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology at the Alcohol Addiction Unit of the West Milan Local Health Authority (ASST); Dr Gabriella Vivino, Lecturer in Anaesthesia and Resuscitation, Researcher and Medical Director, formerly Head of the Poison Control Centre at Policlinico Umberto I.
The programme also features presentations by Dr Maria Caterina Grassi, Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology Specialist at Sapienza University of Rome; Dr Maria Papale, Senior Consultant and Head of the Respiratory Physiopathology Unit at the IFO IRCCS in Rome; Dr Sergio Terracina, Senior Consultant at the Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit of the Sant’Andrea University Hospital in Rome; Professor Ferdinando Nicoletti, lecturer in Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology at Sapienza University of Rome and Director of the Neuromed IRCCS Research Centre in Pozzilli, Isernia; Dr Giuseppe Caruso, lecturer in Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology at UniCamillus University and at the Biology and Preclinical Research Unit, IRCCS San Camillo in Venice; Ms Lucia Buccarello, lecturer in Molecular Biology and Tenure-Track Researcher at the Department of Medicine, UniCamillus, and the Biology and Preclinical Research Unit, IRCCS San Camillo, Venice.