Spain has for a number of years been one of the countries in Europe that has been able to boast the continent’s cheapest cigarette packs, with an average price of 4.60 euros in 2022 and 2023, writes Spanish The Independent.
On Thursday this week, however, a proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health and the Environment to increase the price to a whopping 12 euros per pack of cigarettes – NOK 136 at today’s exchange rate.
Looking to France
This is written by the Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine, Sociedad Española de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria (semFYC), in a press release.
The proposal, signed by a health and activity promotion program called PAPPS, comes after Spain’s health minister, Mónica García, last December launched a comprehensive plan to tighten the smoking law.
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“PAPPS argues that the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in Spain should be the same as in neighboring France, where in December last year it was set at around 12 euros”, the press release states
Outdoor restaurants and public beaches
Furthermore, PAPPS writes that they believe that the price increase will reduce tobacco use by as much as 30 per cent by 2025.
Health Minister Mónica García wants to ban smoking in outdoor restaurants and wants a total ban on smoking on Spain’s public beaches, as well as in private vehicles where children are in the car.
According to the newspaper E-News García has made it clear that they cannot “turn their backs on the only measure that can give more years of life and a higher quality of life to the population, which is to reduce smoking”.
Prohibited in Mallorca
Last summer, several sandy beaches on the Balearic archipelago became smoke-free. 15 of them on the popular holiday island of Mallorca.
Banning
A total of 28 beaches have now been given a total smoking ban, including Playa de Formentor and Playa de Palma.
The smoking ban has been promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Health and Environment, and is part of a public health campaign that started in 2019.
In the summer of 22 it became known that the beaches in Barcelona were to become smoke-free, and that smokers who break the ban will be punished with fines of up to 30 euros, which is equivalent to NOK 340 at today’s exchange rate.
2024-02-11 03:50:41
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