New anti-smoking law in Spain is proposed by the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health has announced that they are preparing an ambitious new anti-smoking law to increase smoke-free spaces, including the prohibition of smoking on the terraces of bars and restaurants. The draft has been well received by specialists in Pulmonology, who are pleased that it includes a good part of their recommendations, including the prohibition of tobacco consumption in open spaces, such as terraces, beaches, sports stadiums, and parks.

The president of the Hospitality Industry of Spain, José Luis Yzuel, argues that the proposed law is unfair, saying that “They are confronting a problem with our clients that don’t exist. When someone lights a cigarette on a terrace and another client complains, one of the two moves, and there is no problem."

The draft of the so-called ‘Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking 2021-2025’, which the Ministry has sent to the regional health authorities and scientific associations to get their opinions before next Wednesday (December 15^th), also calls for the prohibition of smoking in private cars, the generic packaging of tobacco brands, the rise in the price of packs by increasing taxes, and the equalization of the law for restrictions on electronic cigarettes and other devices.

The aim is to reduce tobacco consumption, especially among young people, as around 25% of the population smokes daily, and increase smoke-free spaces before 2023.

Currently, there are seven regions in Spain that have temporarily adopted the measure 'Terrazas Sin Humo' (No smoking on terraces) as a measure against Covid-19 (Aragón, Asturias, Balearics, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Valencia, and La Rioja). The future law would extend this prohibition permanently and nationally.

To the hospitality industry, the proposed law seems "unnecessary", laments José Luis Yzuel, president of Hospitality of Spain, which represents a sector made up of 300,000 establishments. “So a client will not be allowed to smoke on a terrace but if he sits on a bench half a metre away, he will be able to? It's stupid".

Yzuel believes that there will be business owners who voluntarily join anti-smoking campaigns and don’t let smoking on the terraces of their premises, "but that is one thing, but prohibiting it in a general way is quite another." Yzuel complains of the pressure of the anti-smoking movements and of associations such as the Spanish Society of Pneumology, but insists that “smoking outdoors does not bother anyone. Make companies and citizens aware, but do not force them. I think it’s great that companies decide from freedom."

“It is an approach of total hypocrisy and cynicism. On the one hand, the State collects hundreds of millions of euros in taxes and instead of raising awareness and respecting the freedom of companies, it prohibits.”

The Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), support the proposal, both with regard to the terraces and the changes to branding the packs. Carlos Rábade, a specialist from SEPAR said “the increase in the price of tobacco is one of the most effective measures to reduce consumption.”

He emphasized that between 300 and 400 people die every day in Spain from diseases associated with tobacco, and applauds the prohibition of smoking inside cars, "it is a very interesting measure that we have requested before, to protect, above all, children and adolescents.”