600,000 people kick the habit in first year of Spain's extended smoking legislation

More than 25% of the Spanish still smoke however

EFE archive

Around 600,000 people have given up smoking since Spain’s tougher smoking legislation, which bans smoking in all closed public spaces, came into force on January 2, 2011. The CNPT National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking says that 500,000 fewer packets of cigarettes have been sold during that time.

They said in their provisional results released on Tuesday that hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction have dropped by 10% and for asthma attacks in children by 15%.

The Committee notes that the legislation has not had a negative effect on bars and restaurants, nor on tourism which rose by 7% in 2011. Compliance with the law is high, and ‘it has been accepted by the Spanish as if it were natural, apart from some isolated incidents’, they said.

EFE however reports that, despite the news, more than 25% of the Spanish are still smokers. It compares with other countries such as Canada, Australia and Switzerland where the rate is below 15%.

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