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Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 3:02 PM ET
Finland's government aims to phase out smoking completely within the next 30 years.
"This new law proposal says, according to paragraph one, that we will get rid of smoking once and for all in Finland," said Ilkka Oksala, the Finnish state secretary of health.
Under the proposed legislation: • By the spring, smokers in Finland will only be able to buy tobacco by asking for
cigarettes from under the counter.
• Tobacco vending machines are also being phased out over the next three years.
• It will be illegal to smoke in a car carrying passengers under the age of 18.
Details of the long-term policy have not been spelled out.The policy, which is expected to easily pass through parliament, has raised the ire of the tobacco industry."People are well aware of the fact that this is a harmful product," said Anne Edwards, a spokesperson for tobacco giant Philip Morris International. "I think at the end of the day, if they know that, then I think the decision is theirs to make." The company has complained to the Finnish government and is investigating its legal options.About one in five Finns smoke. On the streets of Helsinki, some smokers said they supported the government's approach, calling smoking a "stupid habit," and that they don't want children to pick up.Anti-smoking laws vary across Europe. In March 2004, Ireland became the first country to institute a total ban on smoking in all workplaces, including the country's more than 10,000 pubs. Anti-smoking laws in France and Germany have met fierce opposition.
With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/01/15/smoking-finland.html#socialcomments
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