Spain's new health minister seeks to expand no-smoking areas, including bar terraces, beaches, and..

The new coalition government in Spain, formed by PSOE and Sumar, is preparing new restrictions for smokers. This initiative, driven by the new Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, aims to expand no-smoking areas, including bar terraces, beaches, and inside cars when minors or pregnant women are present. This plan revives Salvador Illa's anti-tobacco initiative from 2021.

This proposal has been highly praised by medical professionals and scientific associations that have long been committed to preventing young people from starting to use tobacco and other harmful products, such as e-cigarettes and hookahs, calling for the expansion of no-smoking spaces to dining terraces and outdoor sports or entertainment venues. This request also aims to protect non-smokers from the harm of smoke when near smokers in these places.

Dr. Susana Morera, head of the smoking issues group at Semfyc, expressed a very positive view on the "new health minister's consideration of necessary measures to protect the health of the current majority of non-smoking population in Spain."

Dr. Pedro Talaga, medical coordinator of the medical center area 5A, shares the same opinion but pointed out that "given the increase in tobacco consumption in recent years, and the proportion of smokers has risen to 38-39%, the measures proposed in this plan may not be sufficient."

Additionally, Dr. Raul Godoy, a pulmonologist at Albacete GAI and president of the Castilla-La Mancha Respiratory Disease Society (Socampar), stated, "This is a very important step," as it is something that the pulmonology community has long been striving for to strengthen anti-tobacco laws and prohibit smoking in outdoor spaces, setting an example for minors to prevent them from starting to smoke."

If the new restrictions are approved, Dr. Godoy noted, "there will not be the same social opposition as there was initially when smoking was banned in bars and restaurants; on the contrary, people will see the proposed measures as reasonable."

Moreover, consulted doctors also believe that equating the regulation of e-cigarettes with tobacco restrictions is a positive step, "because it has been clearly demonstrated that e-cigarettes are harmful, and currently, young people are starting to use these devices without realizing the harm they cause."