13 December 2023 , 19:25
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Spain may ban smoking and vaping on all beaches and in cars to improve the health of the people.
The European country will very carefully consider the idea as it presses ahead with the tough new measures in a bid to save the public from developing potentially fatal conditions. As per Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
The Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed the crackdown, which serves as the next chapter of their mission to ban the use of the recreational drug entirely. In 2005, the government first brought in the smoking ban in pubs to try and eradicate the country's incredibly high rates.
Spanish beaches are set to become anti-smoking zones (Getty Images)The Guardian told the story of 60-year-old doorman, Juan Ramirez, who sat his glass of red wine down at a bar in Madrid, sparked his cigarette and mocked the ban, saying: "Why don't they leave us smokers in peace? What are they going to prohibit next? Walking out into the street?"
However, to his dismay, the idea worked, with many smokers trying to kick the habit, rather than having to stand outside in the cold to get their fix. In 2011, the government took it up a notch, banning smoking in all enclosed spaces. The aim was to transform the country from one renowned for a cigarette smell in the air, to a health-conscious nation that would become one of Europe's most stringently smokeless - and those efforts are continuing.
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The priority now is to resurrect the anti-smoking plan, which will turn terraces, beaches, and cars in the presence of minors and pregnant women as strictly no-smoking zones.
Health Minister, Mónica García explained: “We must look at the law again because we cannot turn our backs on the only measure that can give the population more years of life and a better quality of life, which is to reduce smoking."
Smoking is associated with numerous health conditions (Getty Images/iStockphoto)A year and a half ago, the Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking was officially finalised. Alas, it's failed to make any headway, with Garcia claiming she'd love to 'remove it from the drawer' in an attempt to end nicotine addiction once and for all.
She said: "The first steps are to get it out of the box. We will have to look at each of the cases and each of the assumptions. What we plan to do is study what that plan is going to be, if it needs to be expanded, if it needs to be modified, but we do have a firm commitment to those recommendations."
Garcia is also insistent on limiting the use of vapes, saying that: "Nicotine releasers must be included in this regulation. Vapers will have to have precise regulation" and "that is adapted to all the regulations that exist regarding tobacco."
Spain is attempting to slowly eradicate smoking (MORELL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Of course, her plans haven't gone down a storm with everyone. Some, including, the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, claim that the concept of banning smoking on terraces, would be 'nonsense'. He raged: "From a health point of view, smoking, of course, is not the most recommended activity, but from there to, prohibiting it from being done outdoors seems crazy to me."
Spanish tourist destinations have already added to their no-smoking beaches, with the Balearics expanding to 28 in a strong effort to tackle the 118 million cigarette butts which are dumped every year.