Controlling smoking and the prevention movement

Abstract

This editorial reviews the antecedents to the legislation on preventing smoking which is in place in Spain at the end of 2005. An organised effort is necessary in order to overcome the resistance of the tobacco industry. It also reviews the history of the prevention movement in Spain, its organisation through the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking (NCPS), its strategy and the work which led to the current situation in this country which could represent an inflexion point. The work by the Committee was configured around three axles; to give a stronger and more coherent voice to the anti-smoking movement with regard to the media, to define the appropriate policies in diverse fields of importance to prevention, and to exercise a constant interaction with public powers, in particular with the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs and the Spanish Members of the European Parliament. Progress was based on an improvement in the coordination of the movement (increasing its membership and establishing communication channels) and in relation to the European prevention movement. The experience of the smoking prevention movement allows certain lessons to be learned for dealing with other health problems relating to addictive substances where public policies are important.