Milan moves forward with outdoor smoking ban

Regulations regarding outdoor smoking still vary widely from country to country. In Italy, and more specifically in Milan, new protective measures have been adopted: as of January 1, 2021, smoking will be banned at bus stops and in several other types of public places.

Protect users, improve air quality

Bus stops must no longer be places of exposure to secondhand smoke. In a few weeks, it will no longer be possible to smoke there, unless you can keep 10 meters away from other people. While protecting citizens' health, this ban is part of a draft law on air quality, a bill whose objective is to reduce the levels of fine particle emissions in the country. On November 17, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union announced that Italy had "infringed Union law on ambient air quality," exceeding the limit values "recurringly and persistently."

A preamble to stricter measures

This ban is the first step in a broader campaign: the city of Milan has already announced that, starting January 1, 2025, smoking will also be banned in outdoor sports stadiums, cemeteries, and parks. It also plans to restrict the use of older vehicles, require gas stations to install electric vehicle charging points, prohibit domestic oil heating, limit the use of wood-fired ovens in pizzerias, ban fireworks from October 1 to March 31, and require shops to keep their doors closed.

Other examples around the world

In Melbourne, Australia, the Council hopes to make the city smoke-free by 2025: "Our goal is to expand smoke-free zones over a five-year period so that smoking is eventually banned in the majority of public spaces in the central city, as well as at events organized and authorized by the City of Melbourne."

The same thing is happening in Cape Town, South Africa. The city has joined the Bloomberg Partnership, a group of 70 cities worldwide committed to banning smoking from public places. After the sale of tobacco products was banned during the lockdown, new legislation is expected to make Cape Town smoke-free. Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla reportedly said in May that the new bill would ban smoking in 100,000 square feet of public spaces. Currently, food and entertainment businesses can establish a designated smoking area occupying 25,000 square feet of the establishment's floor space.

In California, the Santa Barbara City Council has established a list of smoke-free outdoor spaces: these include bus stops, but also parks, sports facilities, beaches, sidewalks in commercial and residential areas, city parking lots, and more. Events such as markets, parades, festivals, and more are also affected. The measure applies to cigarettes, vaping products, and marijuana. The goal: to provide a healthy environment for residents and visitors, reduce the number of cigarette butts thrown on the ground and the risk of fires, and protect the public from secondhand smoke.