Pushing Strollers While Smoking: 'Smoker's Paradise' Also Moves Toward Outdoor Smoking Ban

Italy Ministry of Health to Expand Smoking Ban at Bus Stops and More
"Dictatorial Idea" Sparks Backlash... Must Pass Cabinet Approval

As the Italian Ministry of Health pushes to expand smoke-free zones to outdoor areas, debates have erupted within the cabinet.

According to Reuters and other sources on the 6th (local time), Health Minister Orazio Schillaci recently proposed a bill to expand smoke-free zones. Since January 2005, indoor smoking bans have been in effect in Italy, and this bill extends the smoke-free zones to outdoor areas.

The draft of the bill includes outdoor spaces of bars and bus stops as smoke-free zones. Smoking is also prohibited in parks when pregnant women and children are nearby.

According to the bill, not only traditional cigarettes but also electronic cigarettes will be subject to smoking regulations. Minister Schillaci stated in January, "We will crack down on the use of electronic cigarettes and other smoking devices widely used by young people."

As smoking in parks and on streets is very common in Italy, the proposal sparked immediate backlash. In particular, heated debates arose within the cabinet targeting Minister Schillaci, a technocrat without party affiliation.

Deputy Minister of Culture Vittorio Sgarbi criticized the measure, calling it "an idea that could only come from an authoritarian and dictatorial regime," and argued that such measures would actually encourage people to smoke.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini expressed some opposition, saying, "Electronic cigarettes are helping ordinary people quit traditional cigarettes."

The Ministry of Health did not comment separately on this backlash. However, for the bill to be enacted, it must receive cabinet approval before moving to parliament.

Meanwhile, statistics from the Umberto Veronesi Foundation of the Italian Health Association estimate that at least 43,000 people die annually in Italy from smoking-related diseases.

Additionally, according to the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), the adult smoking rate in Italy was recorded at 24.2% last year, the highest since 2009.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.