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Tag: Spain

  • Spain Plans to Extend Smoking Bans

    Spain Plans to Extend Smoking Bans

    Today (May 29), Spain’s health minister announced plans to extend smoking bans to public spaces, including restaurant terraces and outdoor areas in bars. More than a year after the government passed its anti-smoking plan, Health Minister Monica García said “a concrete draft of the bill” had been completed. García said the prospective ban would also apply to electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco devices.

    School playgrounds, university campuses, company vehicles, as well as outdoor festive events and public transport shelters, are among the other places where the ban would be imposed.

    García said she hoped that the ban—which must still be reviewed by the government’s council of ministers, as well as the Spanish parliament’s lower house—would place Spain “at the forefront of the fight against smoking”.

    Spain joined other European countries that have considered introducing similar laws following a recommendation by the European Commission to extend smoking bans to further public areas and include electronic cigarettes.

  • Spain Gets First-Ever Juan Lopez Cigar

    Spain Gets First-Ever Juan Lopez Cigar

    For the first time in Cuba’s Regional Edition program, a Juan Lopez cigar is being exclusively made for Spain. The Juan Lopez Cincuenta y Cuatro, which translates to the number 54 in Spanish, refers to the cigar’s relatively thick ring gauge, measuring 4 3/4 inches by 54 ring gauge.

    The cigars have a suggested retail price of €22 each or €220 per box of 10, and only 50,000 boxes are being produced. According to Spain’s official Habanos distributor, Tabacalera S.L.U., these are medium-to-full-bodied cigars.

    “Once a much larger brand, the now small Cuban Juan Lopez line consists of only a few regular-production sizes, and only sees new releases through limited editions, anniversary humidors or Regional Editions such as this,” Gregory Mottola wrote for Cigar Aficionado. “One of the cigar’s defining details is its band. The Cincuenta y Cuatro does not have the traditional Juan Lopez band found on the core line, but is adorned with a customized variation made just for this release. The central motif is different, emphasizing the name of the cigar. And two gold medals have been added to each side, one depicting the original Juan Lopez design and the other, an embossment of the Palace of the Captains General, a Colonial Baroque building located in Old Havana.”

  • Tobacco Prices Climb in Spain 

    Tobacco Prices Climb in Spain 

    Several popular cigarette brands in Spain went up in price this weekend following a resolution published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Spain’s official state bulletin.

    The updated price list affects shops across mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands. Brands like Marlboro, Chesterfield, Ducal, and Austin are all included, with prices per pack now starting at €4.60 and going up to over €9, depending on the format and brand.

    The rise comes just weeks after other well-known names such as Fortuna, Nobel, L&M and Winston were hit by similar price hikes. It’s part of an ongoing adjustment that’s slowly nudging Spain’s tobacco prices closer to the European average — although for now, they still remain among the lowest on the continent.

    The pricing update also includes cigars and pipe tobacco, with brands like Zino Nicaragua and specialty pipe blends from Musth, Musthave and Tangiers climbing as well. Some pipe tobacco tins are now priced at nearly €22 for 125 grams, while others like Tangiers can hit €35 for a 250 g pouch.

  • Spain: Smoking Drops to Record Low

    Spain: Smoking Drops to Record Low

    Smoking rates in Spain have dropped to a record low, reports Euro Weekly News.

    In 2024, 25.84 percent of the population smoked, down from 33.1 percent in 2022. Health advocates credit successful government initiatives, including higher taxes on tobacco products, stronger restrictions on tobacco advertising, the expansion of smoke-free zones to include public outdoor areas, and increased funding for smoking cessation services.

    Despite these recent declines, tobacco remains a major public health issue in Spain. The Spanish Ministry of Health attributes nearly 50,000 deaths annually to smoking-related illnesses, accounting for nearly 15 percent of all deaths in the country.

    Meanwhile, the decline in cigarette smoking has been accompanied by a surge vaping. The number of e-cigarette users has doubled in the past four years, with 19 percent of Spaniards having tried them. Over half of e-cigarette users are opting for nicotine-free versions.

    In response to this shift, the Spanish government is introducing new regulations to curb e-cigarette usage, including banning e-cigarettes in indoor public spaces, restricting flavored e-liquids, and limiting them to tobacco flavors. It is also considering plain packaging for e-cigarette products, and discussing the introduction of taxes on e-liquids to mirror tobacco taxes.

  • Spain Starts Consultation on Flavor Ban

    Spain Starts Consultation on Flavor Ban

    Image: MSCT

    Spain has started a public consultation on new rules for vaping devices, reports Sur.

    The proposed legislation would ban the ban on the use of non-tobacco flavorings in e-cigarettes with the goal of making these products less attractive to young people.

    The decree also aims to regulate the labeling of electronic cigarettes without nicotine. As with traditional tobacco, they will have to have a list of ingredients and health warnings indicating that their consumption is harmful to health.

    They will also have to include a leaflet with information on contraindications and possible adverse effects.

  • Sophisticated Illegal Factory Dismantled in Spain

    Sophisticated Illegal Factory Dismantled in Spain

    Image: Paco Ayala

    Authorities dismantled a large a large counterfeit cigarette factory in Spain’s Malaga province, reports Sur.

    Guardia Civil officers confiscated 1,448 packs of counterfeit cigarettes from the facility, which operated 24 hours a day and distributed cigarettes throughout Spain. The illegal factory counterfeited four internationally known brands and had an estimated turnover of €4 million ($4.2 million) a month.

    Police were impressed by the operation’s level of sophistication. The facility was powered by a self-contained generator and stored 500 liters of fuel. To avoid detection, the factory operators had soundproofed the generator and made an exhaust pipe to expel the gases.

    In addition to the finished cigarettes, authorities confiscated a large amount of materials such as paper, filters and machinery, along with printing plates with the names of the commercial brands and packets ready to be assembled.

  • Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    The launch of the H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 vitola took place in one of the most iconic locations in the Spanish capital—the arches and inner gates of the Las Ventas bullring, a space filled with charm, history and culture.

    Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars, together with its partner and exclusive distributor for the Spanish market, Tabacalera S.L.U., presented the new vitola at the event organized by the Club Pasion Habanos under the name El ruedo de H. Upmann.

    “The H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 (53 ring gauge x 130 mm length) stands out not only for its elegance but also for its exclusivity. It is a vitola designed for aficionados seeking a unique and sophisticated experience, combining the heritage and brand’s tradition, its refined Habanos, with a light to medium strength, and the characteristic aging of at least two years for limited editions,” a Habanos release states. “H. Upmann Magnum Finite is the result of a meticulous crafting process, using wrapper, filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo plantations, where the world’s best tobacco is produced, in Pinar del Rio region, Cuba.”

    Magnum Finite comes in an exclusive box of 25 units. The flavor is creamy, woody, toasted and earthy with vegetal and mineral hints, ripe fruit, sweetness and light spices, leaving a finish of hay, smoked cedar, damp earth, moss, iodine hints, dried plum, vanilla, nutmeg and molasses.

    Its aroma is tobacco, woody, toasted, herbal, ripe fruit, spicy and sweet, smoked cedar, leather, raisin, coffee, cocoa, clove, vanilla and molasses.

  • Spain Urged to Keep Vape Flavors Legal

    Spain Urged to Keep Vape Flavors Legal

    Photo: nyker

    The Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) has asked Spain to refrain from banning flavored vapes.

    According to the group, the proposed measure presents several risks.

    “The effective ban of e-liquids in the Spanish market will lead to a boom in black market activities with dangerous, non–compliant products,” the IEVA wrote in a statement.

    In addition, the group warned, it will cause a rise in smoking rates and put at risk more than 3,000 jobs in the Spanish vaping industry, leading to a reduction in government revenues by reducing tax collection.

    The IEVA shared its concerns in a contribution to the public consultation that is currently underway.

  • Spain Approves Anti-Smoking Plan

    Spain Approves Anti-Smoking Plan

    Photo: nyker

    Spain has approved a new anti-smoking plan that will expand the number of places where smoking is prohibited, implement a sharp increase in tobacco taxes and place vapers in the same category as conventional smokers as “deterrent” measures, according to Eurasia Review.

    The document was approved April 5 by the Spanish Health Ministry and will be included in a new legislative package to be formally approved in Parliament.

    “As of today [Friday, April 5], this plan is a reality, and this achievement is a source of national pride,” said Health Minister Monica Garcia, a member of the left-wing Sumar platform, a junior partner in Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government.

    The document is an update to the current 14-year-old plan and aims at reducing the number of smokers, protecting public health and preventing new tobacco consumers.

    The Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking 2024–2027 has five main objectives: preventing the onset of smoking, encouraging smoking cessation and facilitating help to stop smoking, reducing environmental exposure to tobacco emissions and related products in public and private spaces, and promoting applied research and monitoring in tobacco control as well as promoting coordination and the establishment of anti-tobacco alliances.

    There is a question of whether in the near future smoking will be banned on bar and restaurant terraces; the leisure and tourism sector accounts for 13 percent of Spain’s national GDP.

    The plan includes the “legislative extension of smoke-free and e-cigarette aerosol-free spaces in certain community and social outdoor environments,” but there is no current ban only a “recommendation” not to smoke in these public spaces.

    An increase in tobacco taxes is expected. Since 2005, tobacco taxes have increased by 122 percent.

    The plan also includes generic or neutral packaging for tobacco products—unattractive color, brand name in Arial typeface and in smaller font size to allow for larger health warnings such as “smoking kills” or “tobacco kills.”

    Additives that “give flavors to tobacco and related products (in line with what the EU agrees)” will also be banned under the new plan.

     

  • Spain Bans Flavors for Heated Tobacco

    Spain Bans Flavors for Heated Tobacco

    Credit: Jorge Argazkiak

    The government in Spain has approved a decree that equates the regulation of heated tobacco products with that of traditional cigarettes, prohibiting products with flavorings. The rules do not apply to all vaping products, such as e-cigarettes.

    In addition, it will now be mandatory for labels to contain warnings for heated tobacco products that they products are harmful to health, according to Catalan News.

    The country’s Ministry of Health is considering further regulations.

    “The ban will cover tobacco products with an aroma or flavor in their components (such as filters, papers, packaging, or capsules) or any other technique that allows modifying the smell or taste of the products or intensify the smoke. Filters, papers and capsules cannot contain tobacco or nicotine,” the report states.

    Heated tobacco products must include the following informative message on their outer packaging: “Tobacco smoke contains more than 70 carcinogenic substances,” with relevant accompanying photographs.

    This decree will enter into force three months after its publication in the official state gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado).