People who smoke in Milan, Italy’s monetary and style capital, threat fines for lighting up on metropolis streets or in crowded public areas following the enforcement of the nation’s hardest smoking ban, which got here into impact on Wednesday.
Those that defy the brand new prohibition within the polluted northern Italian metropolis face fines starting from €40 to €240 (£35–£207), a punishment that has divided opinions amongst residents.
“I feel this measure is extreme. If we’re speaking about indoor locations, I agree as a result of smoking might be bothersome and unhealthy,” mentioned 21-year-old gross sales clerk Myrian Illiano. “But when it’s an open house, I don’t see why one needs to be restricted.”
Nevertheless, 39-year-old content material creator Chiara Ciuffini expressed assist for the measure. “I agree as a result of I’m a sporty, non-smoking particular person. I hope people who smoke can perceive the necessity for non-smokers to breathe cleaner air,” she mentioned.
Milan’s air high quality ordinance, handed by the town council in 2020, launched progressively stricter smoking bans. Since 2021, smoking was forbidden in parks, playgrounds, bus stops, and sports activities services. The most recent ban, efficient January 1, 2025, extends to “all public areas, together with streets”, besides “remoted areas the place it’s doable to take care of a minimum of 10 metres of distance from different individuals”.
Native officers mentioned the measure goals to cut back airborne particulates and enhance air high quality whereas defending residents’ well being, together with shielding kids from passive smoking in public areas.
Emanuele Marinoni, vice chairman of the Italian Tobacconists Federation and a tobacco store proprietor in Milan, expects a 20 to 30 % drop in gross sales. “When persons are within the workplace, they often step outdoors to smoke. It’s apparent this may result in a lower in cigarette consumption,” he mentioned.
The ban, which precedes the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, doesn’t apply to e-cigarettes.
Milan, situated within the industrial Po Valley and closely impacted by highway site visitors, is one in every of Europe’s most polluted cities. Cigarette smoke, like different types of combustion, contributes to nice particulate air pollution, in keeping with Anna Scavuzzo, Milan’s deputy mayor.