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Date Published: 18/05/2023

Anti-tobacco activists ask Spanish government to ban cigarette sales in bars and filling stations

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The group believes people in Spain should only be able to buy cigarettes in tobacconists and airports

Anti-tobacco activists ask Spanish government to ban cigarette sales in bars and filling stations

Anti-smoking association Nofumadores.org has called on the Spanish government this week to ban the sale of cigarettes everywhere except airports and tobacconists, following the example of Portugal. The group has also proposed eliminating vending machines that sell tobacco products in pubs and petrol stations.

In a press release on Wednesday May 17, the activists pointed out that prohibiting the likes of bars, restaurants, hotels and, most importantly, filling stations, from selling cigarettes would reduce the points of sale across Spain by a whopping 85%.

The Spanish government has its own plan in place to reduce the number of smokers in the country, and has in the past suggested such measures as banning smoking in cars and on outdoor terraces, an anti-tobacco plan that has remained in place in the Valencian Community since the height of the Covid pandemic.

Still, there are currently no fewer than 16,049 official tobacco outlets in Spain. Technically, these tobacconists are the only authorised points, but they have increased their sales exponentially by placing vending machines in all kinds of establishments, particularly nightlife venues.

Now, Nofumadores president Raquel Fernández has demanded that the Spanish Ministry of Health implement drastic measures that will turn buying cigarettes and other tobacco products “into a nuisance, so that it becomes an expensive product and practically impossible for adolescents to access, something that isn’t happening right now.

According to the group, the number of tobacconists in the country has increased this year since the government is about to grant 203 new licences. This is despite the fact that the National Committee for the Prevention of Tobacco proposed to reduce points of sale by 85% in 2022, a move that was slammed by vendors at the time.

The latest request, Nofumadores believes, would cut down on the number of young people taking up the habit. Currently, 9% of people between the ages of 14 and 18 in Spain smoke on a daily basis, a far higher figure than the likes of Portugal and New Zealand, who have adopted similar measures.

In other news: 28 popular Spanish beaches ban smoking

Image: Freepik

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