In short: European nations have gotten more serious about curbing smoking and vaping, especially amongst young people. Belgium has grow to be the first country in the European Union to completely ban the sale of disposable vaporizers from this month. At the same time, the Italian city of Milan also began the recent yr by introducing a ban on smoking outdoors in public places.
How reported via The Guardian Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke didn’t mince his words when announcing the ban last yr, calling disposable e-cigarettes an “extremely harmful” product aimed toward getting a brand new generation addicted to nicotine. He cited that waste from disposable vaporizers is full of “dangerous chemicals” that harm the environment.
While Belgium’s ban doesn’t cover reusable vape systems, the country has an ambitious goal of reducing the number of recent smokers to zero or near zero by 2040 through various “denormalization” efforts.
Smoking is already banned in playgrounds, sports fields, zoos and theme parks. From April 1, tobacco products will not be sold in large supermarkets or displayed at sales points.
Recent research shows that the smoking rate amongst adults over the age of 15 in Belgium fell from 25.5% in 1997 to 15.3% in 2018. However, health officials still believed that stronger motion was needed, to maintain the 2040 goal.
As for Milan’s recent outdoor smoking ban, the smog-prone city hopes to improve air quality and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke by banning street lighting and crowded public places. Violators face fines starting from EUR 40 to EUR 240.
This builds on the existing 2021 rule, which made parks, playgrounds, bus stops and sports facilities smoke-free zones. While e-cigarettes have been approved, the ban is one other step in Italy’s decades-long effort to reduce smoking rates by introducing stricter regulations.
According to data from last yr, around 24% of Italians across the country still smoke. According to the Ministry of Health, an estimated 93,000 deaths a yr are attributed to smoking-related diseases. Italy introduced the first restrictions on smoking in public places in 1975.
Elsewhere, England, Wales and Scotland have banned the sale of disposable vaporizers from June on environmental and health grounds.
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