Spanish government moves to ban smoking on bar terraces

Legislation signed off by Spanish ministers would ban use of cigarettes and vapes in bar and restaurant terraces among other outdoor areas. Photograph: Posed by models; Carles Iturbe Ferre/Getty Images

The Spanish government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking and vaping on bar and restaurant terraces, prohibit minors from using vapes and related products, and end the sale of single-use electronic cigarettes.

The legislation, which was signed off by the cabinet on Tuesday morning, is intended to “reinforce protections on people’s health and to adapt the law to consumption patterns and to the tobacco-product market”, according to the health ministry.