2 of 10 under-17s smoke, raise costs to deter -oncologists

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 7 - Some 22% of under 17 Italians smoke and costs of smoking must be raised to discourage them from doing so, Italy's oncologists said Thursday.
    Among young people under 18, no fewer than 11% consume more than half a pack of cigarettes a day. Among habitual smokers, of all age groups, over 44% started before the age of 18.
    A campaign has been launched, #SOStenereSSN (Back the NHS), by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), and the AIOM Foundation with Panorama della Sanità.
    The proposal is to increase the price of a pack of cigarettes by five euros to recover financial resources to be transferred immediately to the National Health Service.
    "This measure has been shown to have been effective in other countries," said AIOM. (ANSA).