Italy's financial capital enforces strictest anti-smoking law: Bans smoking on streets, crowded public spaces

Smokers in Milan, Italy’s financial and fashion capital, now face fines for lighting up in public areas under the country’s strictest anti-smoking law, which went into effect Wednesday (January 1).

Violators of the ban, which applies to city streets and crowded public spaces, can be fined between €40 and €240 ($41 to $249). E-cigarettes are exempt from the new rules.

A bid to solve Milan’s air quality problem

The ordinance, part of Milan’s effort to tackle air pollution, expands restrictions first introduced in 2021 that banned smoking in parks, playgrounds, bus stops, and sports facilities.

The latest measure, effective January 1, prohibits smoking in “all public spaces, including streets,” with the exception of places where smokers can maintain at least a 10-meter (33-foot) distance from others.

City officials said the goal is to reduce airborne particulates and improve air quality while protecting public health, particularly in areas frequented by children.

Situated in the middle of the industrial Po Valley and choked with road traffic, Milan is one of Europe’s most polluted cities in terms of air.

More from World

Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 jolts Assam, tremors felt in Bhutan and north Bengal 5 US F-35 jets land in Puerto Rico amid tensions with Venezuela

Cigarette smoke, “like all combustion, contributes to the creation of fine particles”, said Anna Scavuzzo, Milan’s deputy mayor.

Mixed public reaction

The ban has sparked debate among residents.

“I think this measure is excessive,” said Myrian Illiano, 21, a sales clerk. “As long as we are talking about an indoor place, I agree, because (smoking) can be bothersome and it is not healthy…But if we are talking about an open place, I don’t see why one should be restricted.”

Others welcomed the move. “I agree, because I am a sporty, non-smoking person,” said content creator Chiara Ciuffini, 39. “I hope smokers can understand the need of nonsmokers who want to breathe cleaner air.”

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

The ban has also raised concerns among tobacco vendors.

This will reduce cigarette consumption by “20 to 30 per cent,” said Emanuele Marinoni, vice president of the Italian Tobacconists Federation and a tobacco shop owner in Milan.

“When a person is in the office, (to smoke) they move to the balcony or to the street. It is obvious that there is bound to be a decrease in (cigarette) consumption,” he said.

With inputs from agencies