Spain moves to control drinking

Spain hopes to follow up a new law which seriously curtails smoking with one against alcohol, Health Minister Elena Salgado said today.

“We must achieve a consensus against alcohol similar to that achieved regarding tobacco,” Salgado told a Spanish newspaper.

Spain now has a nationwide ban on tobacco in the workplace, making it illegal to smoke in office buildings, shopping malls, cultural centres and on public transportation, among other indoor spaces.

Bars and restaurants with more than 100 square meters (1,100 square feet) of floor space now must have non-smoking areas, the first step in a process that will eventually require the areas to be physically sealed off from the rest of the establishment.

Owners of smaller bars and restaurants can decide whether to allow smoking, but have to display a sign stating clearly whether their establishment is smoke-free.

“Tolerance of smoking in Spain and the lack of respect for non-smokers had few equivalents in western Europe, ”Salgado said. “The non-smoking majority accepted the imposition of a minority who never even bothered to ask if smoking was permitted whenever they lit up.”

The government says smoking is the biggest cause of death in Spain. Around 30% of Spaniards smoke; 50,000 die of tobacco-related illnesses each year, and 700 die from second-hand smoke.

A government-financed poll released the day after the bill passed said more than 70% of respondents supported it.

Salgado said her ministry would now carry out similar studies into the affects of alcohol on health as it did with tobacco. The new bill would be directed toward the younger population.