Spain: Health organizations want a tobacco-free generation by 2030

The Spanish Minister of Health and around twenty health associations have supported a statement calling on the Spanish government to lay the foundations for the first tobacco-free generation by 2030. By that date, the declaration sets the goal of reducing the percentage of smokers and users of new nicotine products to 5% or less and to 2% or less by 2040[1].

The declaration includes a series of short, medium and long-term measures aimed at protecting the right to health of Spanish citizens, in accordance with the government's obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)Unlike some of its European neighbors, which have implemented a raft of measures to combat smoking, Spain has not developed a clear strategy in recent years. In 2020, more than 321,000 people aged 15 and over consumed tobacco daily, and smoking is responsible for more than 60,000 premature deaths in the country.

In 2010, Spain banned smoking in indoor public places, indoor workplaces, and on public transport, and repealed provisions permitting smoking rooms. However, current legislation is not being enforced, and the hospitality and restaurant sector has increasingly established enclosed outdoor terraces where people smoke. This situation benefits the tobacco industry, according to associations, which are demanding rapid compliance.[2].

New tobacco control measures to come in Spain by February 2021

The Minister of Health and the organizations have formulated a series of new measures, the details of which are expected to be announced on February 27th at the Congress of Deputies. They provide for the elimination of many points of sale (ATMs, gas stations, hotels, etc.); only tobacconists will be authorized to sell tobacco, with stricter age controls. All tobacco and nicotine products will be subject to these restrictions. The declaration goes further, calling for a gradual phase-out of the sale of tobacco products by prohibiting tobacco retailers from selling tobacco products to people born after 2007. In other words, those turning 18 in 2025 or later would constitute Spain's first tobacco-free generation.

The associations also demand that the Spanish government implement effective tax policies to reduce the prevalence of smoking, particularly among young people. They cite France's tax policy and its current price of 10 euros per pack of cigarettes as an example. A sustained price increase would also ensure that tobacco prevention policies in neighboring countries are not partially undermined by cross-border purchases. The associations also call on the government to follow some of its European partners in adopting plain packaging for tobacco products.

Keywords: Spain, Tobacco Free Generation,