The figure was published on Tuesday, which sees the observation of World No Tobacco Day.
The positive news is that since the Spanish government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero brought in its new anti-tobacco law on Jan. 2, 400,000 Spaniards have stopped smoking.
The new law prohibits smoking in closed public spaces such as bars and restaurants and also in some outdoor areas such as children`s playgrounds. After some initial opposition, the law has been accepted by the majority of the population with only very few cases of it being disregarded.
The National Committee for the Prevention of Tobacco calculates the new law will prevent around 500,000 illnesses and 10,000 premature deaths over a decade.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) has launched a campaign to try to take the glamor out of smoking.
The AECC highlights that around a million smokers in Spain are aged between 16 and 24, adding that one in three of those youngsters develop clinical dependency on the substance by the time they reach 35.
The AECC campaign "Break Away From Tobacco" has enjoyed the participation of sports stars, such as footballer Diego Forlan, basketball player Ricky Rubio and signer Alejandro Sanz.
Phrases such as "You will never look cool with yellow teeth." and "The only time you should use a lighter is at a rock concert." are trying to get the anti-tobacco message across the country where until recently smoking has been accepted as a fact of life. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
