Don’t head to Finland if you fancy sitting out on a veranda with a beer and a smoke.
The European country looks set to be the first in the world to become completely cigarette-free. The country originally proposed a goal of being smoke-free by 2040 but new legislation today says the goal can be achieved by 2030.
According to the Nordic version of Business Insider, the government looks set to achieve the health goal by coming down hard on smokers and retailers.
Housing associations can now enforce a smoking ban on balconies and yards belonging to the housing complex. Capsule cigarettes that activate a taste such as menthol or blackcurrant when squeezed are getting banned outright.
Retailers are charged fees for selling nicotine products and the hike in costs means selling smokes is verging on non-profitable.
Finland is the first country in the world to enforce such stringent legislation on smokers. It has been committed to reducing smoking since 1978 when it first banned the advertising of nicotine products. Smoking at the workplace has been banned since 1995 and in bars and restaurants since 2007.
According to Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare, smoking statistics have consistently decreased over the past 20 years. Only 17% of the population consider themselves smokers.
