Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a new anti-tobacco law that expands smoke-free spaces, regulates new nicotine products and introduces penalties for underage consumption. The draft legislation bans smoking on bar and restaurant terraces, in transport stations, educational centres, health facilities, playgrounds and work vehicles, aligning with EU recommendations. It also prohibits single-use e-cigarettes due to environmental and youth concerns, and extends restrictions to heated tobacco, nicotine sachets and herbal hookah products, subjecting them to the same rules as cigarettes. Advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco-related products will be banned across all media, with fines of up to €600,000, while the Smoking Prevention Observatory is reinstated to oversee enforcement. The law, which stops short of mandating plain packaging following coalition disagreements, faces resistance from the hospitality sector and the tobacco industry, and must undergo further parliamentary scrutiny before adoption.
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