The Spanish Ministry of Health has indicated that it plans to approve the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Tobacco, which was not adopted by the previous government, within the first half of 2024, after which the main timeframes for implementation will be determined. In addition, the restrictions on flavors are currently only for heated cigarettes, and there are no plans to expand to e-cigarettes in the near future.

[Two Supremes Original] Entering 2024, Spain’s newly appointed health minister, Mónica García, will have a number of challenges ahead of her when it comes to tobacco control laws. To learn more about the country’s latest policy moves, 2FIRSTS conducted an interview with Spain’s Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health said it plans to approve the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Tobacco, which was not adopted by the previous government, within the first half of 2024, after which the main timelines for implementation will be determined. In addition, restrictions on flavors are currently only for heated cigarettes, and there are no plans to extend them to e-cigarettes in the near future.

Below is a transcript of the interview:

As far as we know, the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Tobacco 2021-2025, proposed by the former Spanish Minister of Health, will be in the spotlight next year. Can the Ministry of Health explain the current government’s view of the plan and the personal contribution of the current Minister of Health, Mónica García, in refining its details?

The Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Tobacco Use 2022-2025 has been thoroughly studied and coordinated in close collaboration with many parties, including local governments and scientific societies, and is now ready to be submitted to the Interregional Committee for final evaluation and approval. The Plan, which is comprehensive in nature and includes interdisciplinary measures and lines of action in different areas, is divided into four main areas: regulation, health, environmental protection and coordination. These four areas also set a series of specific objectives, which include preventing the initial initiation of smoking, promoting smoking cessation, reducing environmental exposure and ecological footprint, and promoting research and monitoring.

To date, does the Department of Health have a clear implementation plan for this program?

The department’s plan is to approve the plan within the first half of 2024, after which key timelines for implementation will be identified.

It is worth noting that there is a two-year gap between the presentation of the plan and its implementation. Since the adoption of Act 579/2017 in 2017, there has been a five-year gap in legislation. How do you explain the legislative and enforcement gap?

In the previous government, the plan was not presented or approved, so there was not a two-year lag between presentation and implementation. With regard to the absence of new laws, it is worth mentioning that change requires that the plan be proposed and approved as a first step. Finally, it is worth noting that changes did occur in the regulatory arena. Currently, the relevant directive on heated tobacco is about to be implemented. The program has now progressed to the final stage and has already received the affirmation of the State Council, with only the approval of the State Council remaining as the final step.

What is the Minister’s view on e-cigarettes? Are e-cigarettes considered a way to reduce the harms of tobacco or an alternative to tobacco production in Spain for the foreseeable future?

Scientific evidence has not yet confirmed the so-called harm reduction of e-cigarettes. In Spain, all scientific societies, as well as governments everywhere, are unanimously against this idea. Therefore, the agreement reached by the Public Commission for Health of the Inter-Regional Council of the National Health System clearly states: “Therefore, the Public Commission for Health of the Inter-Regional Council of the National Health System, in the context of the promotion of public health and the prevention of smoking-related diseases, warns that the use of traditional tobacco products, so-called “heated tobacco products” (no-burn) and “heated tobacco products” (no-burn), is a way to reduce the harms of e-cigarettes. ” (non-combustible) and “nicotine-releasing devices” (e-cigarettes) are all associated with health risks, and therefore advises against the consumption of any of these products.

Under Act 579 of 2017, menthol and flavored cigarettes are banned in Spain. Will this flavor restriction apply to e-cigarettes in the future?

Currently, Royal Decree 579/2017 is under review and, as mentioned earlier, its scope is limited to heated tobacco products and therefore does not affect e-cigarettes.

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