The approval in the United Kingdom of a law that will prohibit the sale of tobacco products to those born after January 1, 2009, with the aim of creating a first generation free from cigarette addiction, has been received with enthusiasm by dozens of medical societies and other organizations that have been fighting against the ravages of smoking for years, in Spain.
Read more The road to the presidential elections of Colombia 2026, live
The measure foresees that all young people who turn 18 will no longer be able to acquire any form of tobacco — until that age, being minors prevents them from doing so — which, over the years, should end up eradicating the consumption of these products. New Zealand approved a similar law in 2022, but the far-right soon after halted the initiative. This makes the United Kingdom the only country in the world to opt for this path of health prevention, although the law is much less restrictive with vapes and other devices, which also contain nicotine, and which can continue to be bought by those who reach the age of majority.
“It is a milestone in the history of public health and a movement that other governments should follow, including that of Spain. Tobacco is highly addictive and causes high mortality. That is why it cannot be sold to minors under 18. Gradually extending the ban to new age groups, what we call progressive abolition, is a big step in the right direction,” says Raquel Fernández, president of Nofumadores.org.
This citizen entity published in 2022, together with 62 scientific and civil societies, the Tobacco ENDGAME Declaration in Spain 2030 in line with what has now been approved in the Westminster Parliament. “We view this measure with envy because Spain is lagging behind in the fight against smoking. For a decade there have been almost no legislative advances,” laments Noa Rey, president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking (CNPT).
Pedro Gullón, general director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, admits this “legislative delay,” which means that this is not “the right time” to propose such a measure in Spain, although “it cannot be ruled out in the future.” In his opinion, “countries that do propose them have lower prevalences” of tobacco consumption, and Spain should first apply other measures to reach similar levels.
According to the latest available data on addictions from the Ministry of Health, corresponding to 2024, . The figure is the lowest in the historical series, but it is far from the approximately 15% registered by most Northern European countries, including the United Kingdom.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft tobacco law reform on September 9, which contains some of the pending measures suggested by Gullón. Among them, the most notable is the ban on smoking on terraces. It also equates electronic cigarettes with conventional tobacco and, for the first time, prohibits the consumption of these products by minors (not just the sale). The legislative initiative is now awaiting parliamentary processing.
These measures, however, fall short for those fighting against smoking. “We can understand that, as the Ministry of Health says, it is necessary to make other decisions before a ban like that in the United Kingdom. What we don’t understand is why they haven’t been taken yet,” says Noa Rey. One of them is “plain packaging, something that has been dropped from the Ministry of Health’s draft bill and that we know works because it prevents the industry from advertising its products,” she adds. Another is price increases: “It cannot be that we are the tobacco shop of Europe by being so cheap.”
Asensio López, coordinator of the Program of preventive activities and health promotion of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), highlights this type of action focused on young people. “It is common for us to be tolerant of tobacco consumption, because it is part of what has always been done. But it is one of the products that creates the most addiction and is then most difficult to quit. We see it in consultations and for this reason it is essential to limit access for young people who have not yet started consuming,” he states.
This expert focuses on devices such as electronic cigarettes and vapes: “We have to address this problem because we are seeing an increase in their use and this will create a new wave of addicts who, in a few years, will suffer a resurgence of nicotine-related diseases.”
For Noa Rey, these “devices are the gateway to tobacco consumption and the latest Estudes survey [from the National Drug Plan] reveals that half of adolescents aged 14 to 18 have tried them in the last year.”
Read more Sheinbaum calls Luisa María Alcalde to the Government and confirms the change in Morena’s leadership
Hospitalizations and deaths
In the United Kingdom, according to the latest ASH survey (the English acronym for Action on Smoking and Health), 7% of minors aged 11 to 17 vape regularly, compared to a percentage ranging from 3% to 5% who start smoking cigarettes. The new rule, named the Tobacco and Vaping Act, which will receive royal assent next week, has fairly broad support among British society.
For its part, the tobacco industry, which tried to convince British legislators to impose less severe limits, has already thrown in the towel and is dedicating its efforts to the business of vaping, electronic cigarettes, and also chewing tobacco.
Except for an extreme minority, such as the far-right Reform UK party of populist Nigel Farage, who has promised to reverse the law if he ever comes to power (as happened in New Zealand), few dare to criticize a law that aims to curb devastating figures such as 400,000 hospitalizations and 64,000 annual deaths related to tobacco.
“Over the last half-century, tobacco has claimed millions of lives across the UK, leaving behind a legacy of pain and loss that could have been avoided. Ending this scourge would be a lasting legacy for generations to come, and families can now feel confident that their sons and daughters will grow up free from the harms of tobacco,” celebrated Hazel Cheeseman, executive director of ASH.
The new law grants the Government powers and capabilities to regulate and limit the consumption of vaping, electronic cigarettes, and other nicotine-containing products. They will be able to impose stricter regulations regarding the sale of attractive flavors that seek to hook young people and the design of eye-catching packaging.
Vaping will be prohibited inside vehicles where minors are present, in playgrounds, or outside hospitals and schools, thus expanding the number of smoke-free zones. However, vaping will still be allowed on bar terraces, outdoor public spaces, and private open environments.
If the tobacco industry and its allies have anything, it is an inexhaustible capacity to produce arguments in a discussion they never give up on. The possibility that the Government restricts the supply of vaping flavors can lead, they claim, to some consumers returning to old habits.
“If the measures are very restrictive, especially regarding flavors or the ease of acquiring the product, the unintended consequence could be that ex-smokers [who now vape] return to traditional cigarettes, or unregulated markets increase,” warned Richard Begg, spokesperson for the vape and electronic cigarette distributor VPZ.
The new law contemplates the prohibition of any type of promotion or advertising of nicotine products aimed at minors, and provides for high economic sanctions, up to 3,000 euros, for merchants who sell them to minors under 18 years of age.
Read more Chess analysis | Pearls of Menorca (I)
