Finland bans smoking for good

Finland plans to abolish smoking, starting with a ban on displaying tobacco products and smoking in cars that carry minors.Finnish State Secretary Ilkka Oksala said the new laws were the start of a move to get rid of tobacco “once and for all." This way they think will stop smoking for good.

There are several European countries now that ban smoking in public buildings, including restaurants and pubs. But Finland will be the country that would be the first to adopt a total ban for smoking tobacco products.New Zealand’s Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Ben Youdan said the same approach was needed here.

We need to set a good deadline to get rid of smoking and remind ourselves this is an urgent health priority. Smoking creates a huge problem for adult and for young people too. The Maori affairs Select Committee inquiry into tobacco is our chance to call for that deadline. New Zeeland needed to set its sights on making the country tobacco free by 2020.

“The tobacco industry needs to be held to account and it looks like Finland intends to do exactly that.”