Smokers in Italy’s financial and fashion capital Milan could be fined for lighting up on city streets or in crowded public areas, after the country’s toughest ban came into force on Wednesday.
Violators of the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between 40 to 240 euros ($41 to $249), a punishment that does not suit all residents.
“I think this measure is excessive. As long as we’re talking about an indoor place, I agree. Because (smoking) can be irritating and it is not healthy.”
“But if we’re talking about an open space, I don’t see why anyone should be restricted.”
However, content creator Chiara Ciuffini, 39, was in favor of the new move.
She said, “I agree, because I am a sporty, non-smoking person. I hope that even smokers can understand the need of non-smokers who want to breathe clean air.”
Milan’s air quality ordinance, passed by the city council in 2020, calls for progressively stricter restrictions on smoking.
Starting in 2021, smoking is banned in parks and playgrounds, as well as bus stops and sports facilities.
The latest smoking ban, effective from January 1, applies to “all public places, including streets”, except “in isolated places where it is possible to maintain a distance of at least 10 meters from other people”, according to the text .
According to a statement, local authorities say the measure aims to “improve the city’s air quality, protect citizens’ health, including protection from passive smoking in public places where children are often present.” are” to reduce airborne particles.
Emanuele Marinoni, vice president of the Italian Tobacconists Federation and owner of a tobacco shop in Milan, said he expected business to drop by “20 to 30 percent.”
“When a person is in the office, he goes out to the balcony or to the street (to smoke). It is clear that (cigarette) consumption is bound to decline,” he said.
The ban – which comes ahead of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics – does not apply to e-cigarettes.
Located in the heart of the industrial Po Valley and filled with road traffic, Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of air.
“Like all combustion, cigarette smoke also contributes to the formation of fine particles,” said Anna Scavuzzo, Milan’s deputy mayor.
cheap smokes
Italy’s first national smoking ban in 1975 banned smoking in public transport and in classrooms and some other areas.
In 1995, the ban was extended to public administration areas and in 2005 to all enclosed public areas, making it a pioneer in Europe at the time.
According to the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) based on data for 2023, about 19 percent of Italians smoke, which is lower than the average of 24 percent within the European Union.
At an average of about six euros per pack, cigarettes in Italy are also among the cheapest in Europe, where prices of around 10 euros are more common.
Italy’s Health Ministry says 93,000 deaths per year are caused by smoking.
According to the World Health Organization, smoking is responsible for about 85 percent of lung cancer cases, the deadliest cancer worldwide.
Within the European Union, 17 countries have passed smoke-free laws, with Ireland, Greece, Bulgaria, Malta, Spain and Hungary having the strictest.
In November, a world-leading proposal to phase out youth smoking in Britain passed its first parliamentary hurdle, with MPs voting overwhelmingly in favour.
This bill would prevent anyone born after January 1, 2009, from legally smoking tobacco by gradually raising the age to purchase tobacco.
The government has said it aims to create Britain’s first “smoke-free generation”.
The lowest number of smokers in Europe is found in Sweden, where eight percent of the population smokes.
The worst situation is in Bulgaria, where the number of smokers is 37 percent.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
