The Spanish Government has finally passed the anti-smoking law prohibiting smoking on terraces and beaches

On Tuesday, the Spanish Government approved, in a second round, the preliminary draft of the anti-smoking law, the new regulation which equates e-cigarettes and vaporizers with conventional tobacco, extends smoke-free areas to terraces, beaches, swimming pools and marquees, and restricts the sale of new products to specialized establishments.

On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers gave the green light to this new regulation amending the 2005 law to adapt the regulations to new products related to tobacco and to strengthen the protection of children and adolescents.

At a press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, detailed that smoking causes 50,000 deaths a yearand that the aim of this rule is to better protect public health and move towards a "smoke-free" generation.

Following a change in consumption patterns, the future law will equalize traditional tobacco legislation with new products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine bags, herbal products such as shisha, and any device that mimics or binds to smoking.