Sweden, a good student of the European Union?

While smoking bans in enclosed public spaces are now common in many countries, Sweden has taken a head start by extending the ban – including e-cigarettes – to outdoor public spaces. Smoking indoors in public places has been prohibited in this country since 2005.

A new law that prohibits smoking in certain outdoor public places

Since 1 August 2019, smoking has been banned in Sweden in outdoor public places such as outdoor platforms, bus shelters, taxi ranks, markets, playgrounds, school exits, etc. In the south of the country, some cities have also banned smoking on the beach. In order to inform the population and tourists as much as possible, a large awareness campaign has been set up.

"Smoke-free Sweden 2025"

This is the name of the plan wanted by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. The goal: to become the first country to go below the 5,% mark for smokers. Other countries, such as Canada, are aiming for the same figure by 2035.

Encouraging figures

Today, Sweden already holds the record for the lowest cigarette consumption. While in 1970, 35,000 Swedes smoked daily, in 2017, only 7,000 did. And currently, fewer than 5,000 men between the ages of 30 and 44 smoke daily: the objective of the "Smoke-free Sweden 2025" plan has therefore been partially achieved. The logical consequence: Sweden has half as many lung cancer cases as the rest of Europe.

The case of snus

Although cigarettes and e-cigarettes are now banned in many public spaces in Sweden, the country nevertheless obtained an exemption for "snus" in 1995 – the year it joined the European Union. This modernized version of chewing tobacco comes in the form of small pouches to suck and is banned everywhere else in the European Union. While it has the advantage of not exposing those around you to smoke, this substitute can cause nicotine addiction in the user and, in high doses, causes oral and dental lesions. It is also said to promote diabetes and certain forms of cancer, such as pancreatic and colon cancer. It is therefore a dangerous practice about which it is essential to provide information.

©Generation Without Tobacco

[1] DNF, Snus, a drug that’s not so sweet!, Tobacco-Free Generation (June 17, 2020 - accessed June 22, 2020).

[2] Jean-Baptiste François, Sweden extends outdoor smoking ban, www.la-croix.com (August 13, 2019 - consulted on June 22, 2020).

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