The no-smoking law brought into force in Italy on 10 January 2005, which prohibited smoking in public places, restaurants, bars and offices, has brought down cigarette sales by nine per cent in the first four months of the year. In 2004, between January and April, 31,084 tons of cigarettes were sold and in the same period in 2005 the quantity of cigarettes sold fell to 28,322 tons, a drop of 138 million packets. At the same time the sales of products designed to help smokers to quit the habit, such as chewing gums and nicotine sticking plasters, rose by 300 per cent in two months.