Milan, Italy: new smoking regulation in public places, effective January 2025

In January 2025, the municipality of Milan, Italy, implemented a total smoking ban for public areas in the city, excluding selected, isolated zones. This is one of the few smoking regulations adopted in Italy over the last 20 years. In January 2006 a smoking ban was implemented in all closed spaces open to the public, including private and public workplaces, commercial and catering establishments, places of entertainment, gyms and sports centres. No other relevant measure was subsequently adopted, and cigarette prices are lower in Italy than in most of western Europe. Between 2005 and 2021, the Italian Tobacco Control Scale (TCS) score, developed by the World Bank and the World Health Organization to measure tobacco control in European countries, decreased in Italy. It dropped from 8th place in the 2006 TCS to 18th place in 2021. The Milan regulation is relevant for the control of active and passive smoking in public places and constitutes a model for other Italian and European urban areas.