{"id":36239,"date":"2016-02-25T16:02:50","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T15:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=36239"},"modified":"2016-02-25T16:04:10","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T15:04:10","slug":"time-to-move-forward-after-five-years-of-the-current-anti-tobacco-law-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2016\/02\/25\/time-to-move-forward-after-five-years-of-the-current-anti-tobacco-law-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Aser Garc\u00eda Rada: Time to move forward after five years of the current anti-tobacco law in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Aser<\/a>Spain has been at the forefront of the fight against smoking for many years. Today (25 February) the National Committee to Prevent Smoking (CNPT), the Spanish Medical Colleges Organization (Organizaci\u00f3n M\u00e9dica Colegial), and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (Institut Catal\u00e1 d \u0301Oncolog\u00eda) have organised a discussion session with representatives from the main political parties<\/a> to talk about further measures that could be implemented to reduce\u00a0smoking in Spain.<\/p>\n

Since 2 January 2011, smoking has been banned<\/a> in all enclosed public places throughout Spain. This marked the end of Big Tobacco\u2019s desired \u201cSpanish model\u201d<\/a> of permissive smoking legislation and, subsequently, Spain\u2019s tougher line on smoking has spread to other countries.<\/a> Although the law was eventually\u00a0backed by all political parties, the road towards it was difficult due to resistance from the tobacco lobby<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reports from the Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality<\/a> and the Spanish Society of Epidemiology<\/a> detailed the early impact of the 2011 ban\u00a0and previous tobacco control laws, which for the first time limited smoking in certain public places. Amid the largest economic crisis in decades, and contrary to what had been foreseen by representatives of the tobacco and hospitality industry, the current legislation has neither affected the number of bars and restaurants<\/a>, nor has it diminished their incomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Several<\/a> studies<\/a> have looked at<\/a> the dramatic decrease<\/a> in secondhand tobacco<\/a> smoke exposure. Although there is evidence that secondhand smoke exposure has not been displaced<\/a> to households, another study has stated that exposure to secondhand smoke<\/a> is higher in children with smoking parents and that children continue to be adversely affected by secondhand smoke even after the 2011 ban. This\u00a0conclusion has, however, been criticised<\/a> by the National Committee to Prevent Smoking, who point to the study’s methodological flaws and small sample size.<\/p>\n

Although Spain’s smoking rates remain above the EU average of 26%, the prevalence of smokers in Spain has progressively dropped over recent years to the current level of 29% of the population<\/a>\u00a0being daily users. Although broader evidence would be desirable<\/a>, reductions in smoking prevalence among workers<\/a>, acute myocardial infarction incidence and mortality<\/a>, and asthma hospital admissions<\/a> have all been observed after tobacco control laws came into effect.<\/p>\n

However, several challenges still need to be tackled. Firstly, although most people comply with the current law, some establishments break it<\/a> by allowing smoking at very late hours or in their covered outside terraces. According to the Organisation of Consumers and Users<\/a> (Organizaci\u00f3n de Consumidores y Usuarios, or OCU), 87% of the bars with walled terraces violate the smoking ban, which states that smoking is forbidden if the terrace is covered and has more than two vertical walls. The OCU adds that the law is also violated when people smoke within the perimeter outside hospitals and schools.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, certain agreements between public bodies and tobacco companies are unacceptable and breach the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. For example, the one under which Philip Morris Spain provides resources to the Civil Guard to combat tobacco smuggling<\/a>. Philip Morris Spain has also granted 13\u00a0scholarships to students<\/a> from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria aiming to attract \u201ctalents<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0The University of Alicante has even aimed to launch its own tobacco brand<\/a> arguing that they have developed a less toxic variety.<\/p>\n

Since the current law was implemented in 2011, only small steps have been taken in the intervening\u00a0years, such as restricting the use of electronic cigarettes in certain public places<\/a>. The government<\/a> needs to put Spain back at the forefront of the fight against smoking by implementing plain packaging<\/a>; expanding smoke-free spaces to stadiums, beaches, or cars when children are present; and equating the restrictions on the consumption of electronic cigarettes with those for tobacco\u2014as has been requested by the CNPT<\/a> and which, according to some polls<\/a>, citizens also support.<\/p>\n

The meeting today seems like an unmissable opportunity for politicians to show their commitment to health for the next four years to come.<\/p>\n

Aser Garc\u00eda Rada<\/strong> is a paediatrician and a freelance journalist.\u00a0He is on Twitter\u00a0@AserGRada<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Competing interests:<\/strong> Full disclosure on\u00a0Aser\u2019s biography<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spain has been at the forefront of the fight against smoking for many years. Today (25 February) the National Committee to Prevent Smoking (CNPT), the Spanish Medical Colleges Organization (Organizaci\u00f3n […]<\/p>\n

More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAser Garc\u00eda Rada: Time to move forward after five years of the current anti-tobacco law in Spain - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2016\/02\/25\/time-to-move-forward-after-five-years-of-the-current-anti-tobacco-law-in-spain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aser Garc\u00eda Rada: Time to move forward after five years of the current anti-tobacco law in Spain - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spain has been at the forefront of the fight against smoking for many years. 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