Goodbye to smoking on terraces? The Spanish government takes another step toward banning it.

BarcelonaThe Spanish government is taking another step toward tightening the anti-smoking law. The Council of Ministers approved this Tuesday the draft law that expands smoke-free zones, including bar and restaurant terraces, cars, and public parks. The future legislation also includes new forms of smoking, such as heated tobacco and vaping, which until now were unregulated, and bans disposable e-cigarettes. This is not the final text of the new anti-smoking law, which must undergo a final review by Pedro Sánchez's administration before reaching the Congress of Deputies, where the different parliamentary groups will debate whether and how it will ultimately be approved. Therefore, there is still a long way to go to achieve one of the priority objectives of the Ministry of Health in this term: increasing restrictions on smoking, preventing new generations from falling into this addictive habit, and reducing the number of smokers, which has stagnated for years. Plain packaging, one of the flagship measures outlined by Health Minister Mónica García, has finally been dropped from the text. The goal was for all brands to have the same appearance and thus be less attractive to buyers, as in other countries, but the draft bill approved this Tuesday does not include this measure.

However, it does provide for a ban on advertising new forms of smoking, which have "increased significantly" in recent years, especially among young people, and can be a gateway to smoking, according to the central government. In fact, the draft of the new law equates them with tobacco and they will have the same prohibitions, a measure that scientific societies and experts have long called for. Once approved, manufacturers will have one year to adapt their products to the new law and to exhaust their stocks of disposable e-cigarettes.

New smoke-free spaces

The draft law expands the areas where smoking is prohibited and incorporates new ones that experts have long called for, such as bar and restaurant terraces, public transport stations, and open-air shows and concerts. Smoking will also be banned in playgrounds, cultural or sports areas, and outside healthcare, educational, university, and social centers. Finally, the Spanish government also intends to extend the ban to cars.

New forms of smoking

E-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, water pipes, heated tobacco, and vapes will be subject to the same prohibitions as conventional tobacco once the new law is approved. This means they cannot be used in smoke-free spaces, their sale will be prohibited to minors (who will also be prohibited from consuming them), and the products will have to include information about the nicotine content on the label. According to the draft law, there will be sanctions for those who violate this regulation, as is already the case with tobacco. The sale and supply of disposable e-cigarettes is also prohibited, both due to their environmental impact and their accessibility to young people.

Limit advertising

The future law also focuses on both direct and indirect advertising of new forms of smoking, which will be banned once approved. Samples and discounts will not be allowed, and signs or posters for these types of products will not be allowed to be displayed in bars and nightclubs. Companies and brands in the sector will also be prohibited from sponsoring activities at festivals or sporting events, and signs must be posted in all places where smoking is prohibited.