list of contributors - GALA

Comments: A new step has been taken to more efficiently protect children regarding TV
programs. Nevertheless, parents should continue to be responsible for their
child’s education.
2. Legislation: New Draft Bill of the Smoking Prevention Act
Topic: Tobacco
When: January 2005
Who: Spanish Government
Where: Spain
What Happened: At the start of this year, the proceedings started for the New Draft Bill of the
Smoking Prevention Act, drawn up by the Ministry of Health. It is turning
out to be very controversial due to the opposition shown from the Ministries
of Industry, Employment and Justice, among others.
With this new Act, the Ministry of Health aims to reduce the harmful effects
of tobacco. It believes that 16% of deaths in people over the age of 35 are due
to tobacco consumption.
Some of the main novelties of the Draft Bill are:
a. Minimum age for the purchase of tobacco
It is currently prohibited to sell tobacco to minors under the age of 16, either
directly or through vending machines. The Draft Bill increases the minimum
age to 18.
b. Places where tobacco cannot be sold
At present, tobacco cannot be sold in health establishments, schools and
those places allocated for children and young people. The new Act also
includes cultural and sports centres and any other place where smoking is
prohibited.
c. Prohibition of smoking at work
The current Act bans smoking in workplaces where there is the risk of
combining tobacco with certain industrial contaminants or where there are
pregnant women. The Draft Bill stipulates that in 2006 it will be prohibited to
smoke in any public or private workplace.
d. Prohibition of smoking in bars
There are currently only restrictions for theatres, cinemas and restaurants,
where the smoking areas must be suitably specified.
This new Act bans smoking in bars and restaurants larger than 100 m2,
unless a specific place, with separate ventilation, is adapted for this purpose.
e. Prohibition of advertising, promotion and sponsorship
At present, it is prohibited to advertise smoking on television (public and
private) and on public radio. The new Act aims to completely eliminate
tobacco advertising. The ban is also extended to the press and private radio.
It will also be prohibited to give products related to tobacco as promotional
gifts and perform sponsorship activities.
f. Sanctions
The infringements are classed as: minor with fines of 30 to 600 Euros, serious
with fines of 600 to 10,000 Euros (e.g. selling tobacco to minors) and very
serious with fines of 10,000 to 60,000 Euros (e.g. advertising, promotion and
sponsorship of tobacco products).