The sale of tobacco in vending machines will be banned in 2025, and later this year, smoking in outdoor spaces next to public buildings such as schools, colleges or hospitals will be banned, according to a proposed law.
If the Government Bill is approved by the Assembly of the Republic, it will not be possible to sell tobacco directly or through vending machines in places such as restaurants, pubs, concert halls, venues, casinos, bingo, game rooms, fairs and exhibitions.
Speaking to JN, Secretary of State for Health Promotion Margarida Tavares explained that with regard to the stands, the rules are also strict. “In all those that have some kind of coverage, and it does not have to be complete,” smoking will be prohibited, as well as at the door or next to the windows of restaurants, bars and cafes.
Also at music festivals, where there is “very strict marketing in the sense of promoting the purchase and use of tobacco and even other tobacco products, namely heated tobacco, the sale of these products will be prohibited,” it was revealed to Lusa’s agency the Secretary of State for Health Promotion, Margarida Tavares.
The aim is to restrict the sale of tobacco to tobacconists or the like and at airports from January 2025.
According to the minister, the changes to the tobacco law, which are due to be approved by Cabinet on Thursday, were mainly motivated by the need to transform the European Directive of June 29, 2022 into national legislation, which equates heated tobacco with other types. Tobacco products, the prohibition of the sale of hot flavored tobacco.
However, he stressed, “the focus is really on health promotion,” which includes “discouragement of tobacco consumption and reducing access to tobacco, i.e. the sale of tobacco.”
Therefore, the rules on smoking in enclosed public-entry spaces will be tightened, where there are already “significant restrictions”.
“Basically, there aren’t any places where you can smoke anymore,” with the exception of some places, such as restaurants, bars and nightclubs, which were installed in January this year, as a result of legislation, equipment that allows “to have separate and protected spaces for smokers” and which may It continues until 2030.
There are also “very specific” exceptions such as airports or other places where it is not possible to go elsewhere to smoke.
Margarida Tavares highlighted the “most revolutionary” change in restricting the possibility of smoking in outdoor spaces, inside the perimeter where buildings with public access are installed, such as hospitals, health centers, schools or colleges, a measure that should enter into force on October 23, the deadline for entry directive into effect.
“In some places, like prisons, maybe it’s a little unfair for us to do the same thing,” he said, explaining that it is possible to designate a properly defined space where smoking is possible.
The official explained that the intention is to create more and more environments that “ensure people have access to the best options for their health”, but also to discourage tobacco consumption and limit access to it, especially for young people, so that they do not start to smoke.
“We want to create a tobacco-free generation by 2040 and we really believe that this is possible,” he said, stressing that the path taken by Portugal and other countries has yielded results.
He noted that since the Tobacco Act came into force in 2007, “many things have changed”, with a “very significant” decline in the prevalence and start-up of tobacco use.
In 2005/06 the prevalence was 20.9% of smokers (more than 30% among men and about 12% among women), a value that decreased to 20% in 2014 (28% in men, 13% in women) and to 19%. % in 2019 (24% in men and 11% in women).
And he stressed that “we were applying restrictions on places where smoking could be done and at points of sale, as well as other warnings that were put in place and this had a very significant impact, especially on young people,” recalling a study conducted by the institute. from the University of Porto Public Health which found that in 2003 19.9% of young people aged 13 and over had already tried tobacco, while in 2018 only 3.9% had done so.
