Judge annuls ban on vapes on Barcelona beaches

The Catalan High Court has partially accepted an appeal against the ban on smoking on Barcelona beaches, in force since July 2022. This means, that the ban on vapes on the city seafront has been lifted.

The Former Smokers Association presented the appeal against local legislation banning smoking on the beaches in force in the city for almost three years, as first reported by the local news outlet Tot Barcelona, and later confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

The court ruled against the law affecting vapes or e-cigarettes, as it considers that the city council does not have any power to regulate such elements in that area. Magistrates, however, do differentiate between e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes.

Barcelona city council points out that, regardless of the ruling, the legislation will not be modified as it only affects vapes, therefore, the ban on regular cigarettes remains in place.

The summer of 2022 was the first summer in which the ban was in place across all the Catalan capital beaches, as in 2021 authorities did a pilot test on four beaches. Back then, the number of smokers was reduced to 3%, while this year, it dropped to 0.97%, according to Barcelona's beaches' information services.

Smoking is prohibited on the sand and the sea, but it is allowed on the street or in one of the many beach restaurants (guinguetes in Catalan or chiringuitos in Spanish).