More Anti-Smoking Regulations

SPN Health WarningsThe Board of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree and a draft bill that should result in electronic cigarettes having to show health warnings on their packaging.

This is to put Spain in line with a European Directive that not only demands these warnings to be on the device itself, but also on the liquid refills. It also stipulates that normal cigarettes cannot be sold in packets containing less that 20, so that the price of purchasing a packet would serve as an ‘obstacle’ to young people picking up a smoking habit.

As much as a surprise that this law on electronic cigarettes is, it actually comes with over a year’s delay as national governments in the EU had until May 2016 to incorporate this EU law into their own law bodies. This same EU Directive demands that the health warnings on normal packets of cigarettes should ‘double in size.’

The Chairman of the tobacco sector, Juan Páramo, explained that whilst health warnings on the packaging of electronic-cigarette products would cover 30% of the packaging, on normal cigarettes and pipe tobacco packages it will be 65%, plus 50% in text on the sides. Products will also have to include guidance on kicking the habit.

Finally, all special ‘characteristic aromas’ are now forbidden.

Editorial comment: The government and the EU want their cake and eat it. They want to cut down the cost on public health services from smoking-related diseases, yet also want to rake in the tax that comes with sales. Make smoking illegal or cut the crap.

(News: Spain)

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