The Italian capital of fashion and finance has decided to ban cigarettes outside from 1is January, a first on the peninsula. According to the“air quality ordinance” adopted in 2020 by Milan, « from 1is January 2025, the smoking ban is extended to all public spaces, including streets ».
In the event of non-compliance with this ban, the offender is liable to a fine ranging from 40 to 240 euros.
Only one exception is tolerated: “isolated places where it is possible to maintain a distance of at least 10 meters from other people”which, in a dense and populated city like Milan, is a feat, except perhaps in the middle of the night. Electronic cigarettes are not affected by this measure.
In the Lombard capital, smoking had already been banned since 2021 in public green spaces, except when it was possible to respect a safety distance of 10 meters, in children’s play areas, at bus stops and train stations. taxi, as well as in all sports facilities.
Almost one in five Italians smokes (compared to three in ten French people), according to figures from the National Statistics Institute (Istat) dating from 2023, and 93,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking, according to the Italian Ministry of Health.
