Smoking in Italy

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Smoking in Italy has been banned in public places including bars, restaurants, discotheques and offices since 2005.[1] A majority of Italians supported the ban at the time it was first implemented,[1] but there was a lack of support from smokers and some bar owners.[2] 5% of bar and restaurant owners immediately introduced separate smoking rooms.[2]

History[]

Italy saw a push against cigarettes in 1986, by then Health Minister Costante Degan, but the push would be forgotten amid other concerns.[3] The push to restrict cigarette use in public would be taken back up however, and on November 11, 1975 law no. 584 was passed prohibiting smoking on public transport and in some places such as hospitals, cinemas, theaters, universities, museums, and libraries.[3][4]

Italy was the 4th European country to introduce a smoking ban in public places. On 1 August 2005 a judge ruled that business owners could not be punished for not informing the police about infringing customers. The rates of law enforcement are higher in Northern Italy, Tuscany and Sardinia, with lower rates in Southern Italy, especially in Calabria (70%) and Campania (76%).[5]

Heart attacks in Italian adults dropped significantly following the implementation of the smoking ban.[6] The decline in heart attacks was attributed to less passive smoking.[7] Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia said that smoking was the leading preventable cause of death in Italy.[2] The ban caused an 8% decrease in cigarette consumption.[8]

The smoking rate in Italy between 2000 and 2020 is about 23.7%; slightly higher than the United States' 21.8%. Furthermore, data shows a general downward trend in smoking rate between 2000 and 2016. In 2005 when smoking was banned in public places the rate was about 25.6% and fell to the current level of about 23.7% showing that the law did in fact limit and discourage citizens from smoking.[9]

See also[]

Further reading[]

  • Fumo: Italy's Love Affair with the Cigarette by Carl Ipsen, 2016, Stanford University Press

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Smoking Ban Begins in Italy". Deutsche Welle. October 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Italians fume over cigarette curb". BBC News. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Ristoranti, ospedali e teatri: quando fumare non era un tabù". La Repubblica. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  4. ^ "Italy Details | Tobacco Control Laws". www.tobaccocontrollaws.org. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  5. ^ "Sorveglianza Passi – Rapporto nazionale Passi 2012: esposizione al fumo passivo" (in Italian). Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Heart Attacks Decreased After Public Smoking Ban In Italy". ScienceDaily. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  7. ^ Kahn, Michael (Feb 11, 2008). "Heart attacks drop after Italy's smoking ban: study". Reuters. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  8. ^ Dobson, Roger (19 November 2005). "Italy's ban on smoking in public places has led to 8% drop in consumption". BMJ. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  9. ^ "Italy Smoking Rate 2000-2020". www.macrotrends.net. Retrieved 2020-04-20.


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