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Ask any foreigner, they imagine a Frenchman with a beret, a baguette and a cigarette. It's a cliché, of course, but which is based on a certain reality. In fact, 25.6% of the population smokes. But she does not risk being fined for this, unlike elsewhere.
For years, the number of smokers has been declining. The democratization of electronic cigarettes, aids to quit and the prices which continue to increase are the reasons for this.. The government wants to reduce the number of smokers, without putting in place repressive measures. Other countries, on the other hand, do not have this regard.
A fine if you smoke in public spaces
From January 1, 2025, smoking in the streets of Milan will be strictly prohibited, under penalty ofa fine of up to 240 euros. This initiative aims to reduce smoking, particularly passive smoking, but is causing debate among residents of the Lombard capital.
Milan's new regulations will apply to all public spaces, including parks, sidewalks and roads. There is, however, an exception: smoking will be permitted outside if the smoker is more than ten meters from other people.
To have
This equipment will be compulsory from 2025: the fine will be colossal if you refuse it
This measure comes in a country where around 25% of adults are smokers, a statistic which highlights the scale of the challenge. However, the total ban, even in the open air, is not unanimous. Obviously, smokers are angry. Receiving such a fine for a cigarette goes too far for them.
However, it is difficult to deny the dramatic consequences of passive smoking. If smokers know the risks they take, they impose some of them on people who do not smoke.
Good news for ecology?
The ecological argument occupies a central place in this decision. According to the Lombardy Regional Environment Agency, tobacco is responsible for 7% of fine particles suspended in the air in Milan.
This fine would therefore, in addition to replenishing public accounts, encourage smokers to smoke less. while improving the city's air quality. Milan is not the first city to implement legislation of this kind.
In Australia, for example, smokers can also be fined for smoking indoors. This is also the case for Mexico and Portugal (since 2025).
To have
1,500 euros fine for this harmless but common gesture by the French after the end-of-year holidays
What about electronic cigarettes?
It should be noted that this ban does not yet concern electronic cigarettes. A measure that could evolve in the future. Indeed, some might think that vapers should not pay a fine, since they do not smoke tobacco. There is therefore no passive smoking.
Reality proves them wrong. Indeed, when a person vapes, they exhale an aerosol. The latter contains chemical substances (possibly nicotine, propylene glycol and other chemicals).
However, people around you can inhale these substances. We can therefore perfectly speak of passive smoking. Enough to justify a fine, although the ecological nature is less taken into consideration.
This law is therefore likely to evolve and France could, one day, take this direction. More and more French people complain of not being able to enjoy a coffee on a terrace without inhaling cigarette smoke. Implementing fines could solve the problem.
