Spain’s Restrictive Vape Policies Could Cost Thousands of Lives, Report Warns
Smoke Free Sweden Contrasts Spain’s High Smoking Rates with Sweden’s Harm Reduction Success
Spain’s restrictive approach towards safer, smoke-free nicotine alternatives like vapes is hindering its fight against smoking and putting thousands of lives at risk annually, according to a new report by Smoke Free Sweden. The report, titled “A Tale of Two Nations: Spain vs. Sweden,” starkly contrasts the public health outcomes of the two countries, attributing the differences to their divergent tobacco harm reduction strategies.
While Sweden has embraced harm reduction – making safer nicotine alternatives accessible, affordable, and socially acceptable – and is on the verge of achieving the EU’s lowest smoking rate at just 5.3%, Spain maintains a smoking prevalence five times higher at 25.8%. This disparity has profound health consequences: Sweden’s cancer incidence is 41% lower than the European average, and its cancer mortality rate is 38% lower.
The report quantifies the potential impact: if Spain had achieved Sweden’s smoking-related mortality rates between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 30,865 deaths could have been averted.
Sweden’s Success vs. Spain’s Proposed Restrictions
“The evidence is clear: harm reduction works,” stated Dr. Delon Human, author of the report. Sweden’s success, achieving a 54% reduction in smoking rates since 2012, is attributed to a comprehensive approach including legal access to safer nicotine products, permissible advertising to inform smokers about options, and risk-proportionate taxation that incentivizes switching from combustible cigarettes.
In contrast, Spain appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Despite recent data suggesting that increased vaping may be contributing to a decline in smoking rates, the Spanish government is reportedly preparing to introduce new restrictions on safer alternatives. These include potential bans on flavors in vaping products and an “excessively low” nicotine limit. The report argues these measures are diametrically opposed to robust scientific evidence and risk undermining recent progress by removing tools that help smokers quit.
Key Recommendations for Spain
To improve its public health outcomes related to smoking, the Smoke Free Sweden report offers several key recommendations for Spain:
- Make tobacco harm reduction a central pillar of its tobacco control strategy.
- Ensure adult smokers have access to a range of safer nicotine alternatives.
- Implement risk-proportionate taxation that encourages switching from smoking to less harmful products.
- Permit flavors in smoke-free products, recognizing their role in helping smokers switch.
- Establish science-based nicotine limits that do not render products ineffective for smokers.
- Launch public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about the relative risks of different nicotine products.
The report concludes that by adopting these evidence-based harm reduction strategies, Spain could significantly accelerate its progress in reducing smoking rates and the devastating health burden associated with combustible tobacco. The full report is available at smokefreesweden.org.
