From 1 January outdoor smoking ban in Milan

Milan aims to become a cigarette smoke-free city. With the new year, life will be more difficult for smokers, even in the open air, because from 1 January 2025 the smoking ban will be extended to all public areas or areas of public use, including streets, outdoor areas, and tables in open-air bars. Smoking will therefore be allowed in isolated places where a distance of at least 10 metres from other people is possible. This was decided by the municipality in the air quality regulation, and for those who do not respect the ban there are fines ranging from 40 to 240 euro. The crackdown concerns only tobacco smoke, Palazzo Marino points out, so the use of electronic cigarettes is allowed.

Milan was the first Italian city to impose a cigarette smoking ban in public places. In the Lombard capital, the ban had already been in force since 2021 in certain areas. Already today, smoking is not allowed in public green areas, except where it is possible to keep a distance of at least 10 metres from other people, in areas dedicated to play, sports, public transport stops, cemeteries, and sports facilities. "This second step concerning the smoking ban, which in fact extends to the entire city the ban already in force in various areas and zones, is first and foremost an awareness-raising action," explains the city's Environment and Green Councillor Elena Grandi, "aimed at discouraging lifestyles that we know are harmful to the health of all people, not just smokers.

Cigarette smoking, according to Arpa Lombardia data reported by the municipality, is in fact responsible for 7% of fine dust emissions, so it harms everyone, not just smokers. That is why the municipality wanted this crackdown. "We are talking about a measure that aims to be a concrete action from which everyone will benefit," continues Councillor Grandi, who as a smoker says she is ready to change her habits, "both in terms of personal health and general well-being. There is, however, the issue of the controls that may be put in place by the municipality to verify compliance with the ban: until now, there have been few sanctions imposed since 2021 on those caught smoking in prohibited public places. The ban in the intentions of the municipality should be more of a deterrent measure, with the aim of bringing citizens to a cultural change. "That is why we are counting on the cooperation of everyone," explains the councillor. "I am happy that this measure is finding support from the scientific world. In fact, the crackdown on smoking has been appreciated, among others, by Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, the former scientific director of the Policlinico and an expert on the problems arising from smoking. "We hope that the entire scientific community, by sharing this measure, can contribute and help us in our work to raise awareness of the damage of smoking," Grandi concludes.