Smoking rate increased

The incidence of smoking among Spaniards aged 15-64 last year, at 34.0 percent, was higher than it was before the introduction of a tobacco-smoking ban in 2005, 32.8 percent, according to a story in El Pais.
But, at the same time, cigarette sales have fallen: from 4.6 billion packs in 2005 to 2.2 billion packs in 2017.
These figures are from the drug-consumption survey EDADES, which was carried out by the Health Ministry.
Apparently, the survey’s methodology means that, assuming the country’s population has remained roughly stable during the period under review, it is not known if the changes in the incidence of smoking and the sales volume are due to individual smokers consuming fewer cigarettes per year or choosing to roll their own cigarettes.
The 2005 law banned tobacco smoking in the workplace but allowed it in smaller bars and restaurants.
But that law was extended in 2010 to cover smoking in all closed public places.
The Health Minister María Luisa Carcedo and Azucena Martí, the government delegate for the National Plan on Drugs, presented the results of the survey on Tuesday, but they were unable to explain the rise in the incidence of smoking.
Carcedo said that more work needed to be done to ensure the current laws were being enforced.
She did not rule out or confirm whether the government was planning to ban smoking in cars or homes with minors present, but she said these issues would be complex given that the places in question were private.
The health minister did, however, announce that the government would launch a special campaign to stop young people from taking up smoking. According to the biannual survey, the number of young smokers has risen five percentage points during the past two years.