Alberto Ruano Raviña
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Santiago de Compostela, researcher at CRETUS and IDIS, and Visiting Professor at Brown University (USA)
This new law is very welcome in light of the leading cause of death in Spain, which accounts for some 60,000 deaths every year (data published by our group, whose principal investigator is Mónica Pérez). It updates regulations that had become severely outdated. The restrictions on advertising and the treatment of other products in the same way as conventional tobacco are also very positive. However, it falls short and fails to address key issues such as increasing tobacco taxes.
It focuses primarily on exposure to second-hand smoke, which causes around 2,000 deaths in our country, without directly addressing active tobacco use. It has been shown that tax increases drastically reduce the prevalence of tobacco use. Furthermore, it does not regulate minors’ exposure in private settings, such as inside private vehicles (something that other countries, including some in the EU, do regulate). Recent published data (including from our group) indicate that the Spanish population would accept measures of this kind.
In summary, whilst the law is a positive step, it will not have a significant impact on tobacco-related mortality in Spain.