Big surprise at the Interterritorial Health Council, which was debating the 2024-2027 anti-smoking plan. After days when it seemed that the PP-governed communities completely distanced themselves from this plan (which had been drawn up by their own technicians), claiming that everything was too hasty, that it did not have funding and other similar reasons (it was reached to say that the tobacco industry had not been taken into account in the plan), the PP councilors showed unwavering support for the project, which aims to reduce the consumption of tobacco and its products and, above all, to curb the ‘entrance to smoking by the youngest.
Even the councilor of Galicia, Julio García Comesaña, described yesterday as “important for the fight” against this addiction and affirmed that they would continue to work on it.
What has changed for this support to exist? Well, according to Comesaña, spokesperson for the PP councilors on this occasion, that Minister Mónica García’s team has included in the text that the money collected when tobacco taxes are raised to the levels of most European countries ( around 8 or 10 euros per pack for traditional cigarettes, much more for electronic ones) will go towards the fight against smoking.
And, in addition, according to Comesaña, that the minister has also listened to some of their demands: that when the rule establishing the new smoke-free spaces is drawn up, the actions that have been carried out in the autonomous communities will be taken into account , assuming that “not everything is prohibiting and prohibiting”.
The councilors of the PP recognize that the plan is a job for everyone, including the communities, and a sign of this is that more than 90% of their allegations have been included. A surprising satisfaction, because a few hours earlier it was noticeable the rejection of a text that already included the allegations of the communities.
Be that as it may, the reality is that the anti-smoking plan is being branded and that, from now on, it is up to the Spanish Government to roll out the laws it entails: new smoke-free spaces, equating electronic cigarettes with traditional ones, and work with the Treasury to clearly increase taxes on these products and that the increase goes to smoking. It is not known if Health has already spoken to Minister María Jesús Montero about it, and even less if it states that the increase in taxes will be aimed at fighting this habit, which kills more than 50,000 people every year.
From this moment, the plan depends, in terms of regulations, on the central government and the Spanish Parliament. The communities will have little to say and the discussion will focus on the political parties (although it seemed the Inter-Territorial Council as well). They will be the ones who will finally decide whether the terraces will be smoke-free spaces.
