Portugal unveils anti-smoking bill aiming for a smoke-free country by 2040

According to foreign media reports today, the Portuguese government has published a draft bill aimed at restricting tobacco sales and banning smoking on covered terraces as well as in schools, hospitals, and sports venues.

This comes as part of its effort to achieve a smoke-free generation by 2040.

Health Minister Manuel Pizarro said the proposals are intended to address tobacco use, not the consequences for smokers or business owners. 

"This is a bill that takes firm action to promote health and protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke," he said on Thursday.

If approved by parliament, the ban on smoking outside bars, restaurants, and cafes, including near public buildings such as hospitals, schools, universities, and sports venues, will take effect on October 23.

"We propose extending the outdoor smoking ban to public passageways or areas for shared use—especially spaces frequented by the most vulnerable groups," Pizarro added.

The proposal also includes a ban, starting in 2025, on the sale of tobacco in bars, cafes, restaurants, and gas stations. Tobacco would only be allowed to be sold by licensed tobacco retailers, airport shops, or vending machines located at least 300 meters away from schools and other educational facilities.

To limit young people’s access to tobacco and e-cigarettes, sales of flavored tobacco products will also be restricted, along with advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, in order to prevent experimentation, consumption, and dependence. 

Starting next year, the establishment of new smoking areas will be banned, but bars, clubs, and restaurants that have already been licensed may keep those spaces until 2030.

The country’s Socialist government said the measures are intended to save thousands of lives each year by reducing incentives for tobacco consumption.

According to government data, tobacco use accounts for two-thirds of smoker deaths, with 13,500 people in Portugal dying from it in 2019, even though the country’s population is only slightly above 10.3 million.

The Provar restaurant association claims this is a blow to small businesses trying to generate income, while the national fuel retailers association, which represents gas station operators, said the move is unfair.

France has also decided to join the initiative, with Health Minister François Braun announcing that the French government may ban disposable e-cigarettes by the end of 2023.

"I support the ban... e-cigarettes lead some of our young people toward tobacco use," Braun told broadcaster France Inter.

"Smoking is a scourge that causes 75,000 deaths a year in France," he added.

Even so, according to data released last month, smoking in the United States has never been less common: by 2022, 1 in 9 American adults reported smoking, the lowest rate in the country’s history.