Smoking in Swedish bars and restaurants has been banned since 2005. Now the Scandinavian nation has introduced new laws limiting smoking in public places. From July 1, Swedes are not permitted to smoke in playgrounds, railway stations, and in outdoor sections of restaurants and bars.
Scandinavia against smoking
Sweden and its neighbour Norway have cracked down hard on the tobacco industry and smoking in the past decades. In 2004, Norway's lawmakers made the advertising of tobacco products illegal, and put in place a smoking ban in selected public areas such as outside schools and hospitals. The numbers of people smoking cigarettes has fallen in both countries.
It's a different story in Denmark, however. The country has less strict anti-smoking regulations than Sweden and Norway, and has seen a recent surge in smokers for the first time in twenty years.
The new Swedish ban, which includes e-cigarettes, is part of Sweden's Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Löfven's aim for the country to become smoke-free by 2025. Following months of negotiations after a deadlocked general election result last year, Löfven cobbled together a weak alliance of four parties to form a minority government and retain his position as prime minister.
Political reaction to the ban
The reaction to the new regulations will likely be a test for the new minority government. Stockholm city bosses have already said they will defy the ban by allowing three popular bars to continue their outdoor smoking areas. The new law allows restaurants to have sealed-off smoking sections similar in nature to the smoking zones in place at many airports. But the Stockholm bars will allow their patrons to eat and drink there should they wish.
"From a political point of view with have asked our officials to take a pragmatic view over outdoor 'smoking rooms' for smokers, and we are ready to stand firm on that decision if it gets tested in court," said Liberal councillor Jan Jönsson to Sweden's Dagens Nyheter newspaper. Meanwhile, Liberal Party chairman Joar Forssell dressed up as a cigarette the night before the law came into place. Forssell, not a regular smoker, reportedly chain-smoked in the outdoor section of a restaurant in Visby with friends and colleagues until the moment the ban came into effect.
Similar ban "likely" in Norway
Following a string of previous controversies, Progress Party MP Sylvi Listhaug returned to front-line politics with a splash earlier this year. Newly-appointed as Minister for Public Health, the social smoker said people should be allowed to smoke, drink and eat as much red meat as they wish. “They almost feel they have to hide away, and I think that's stupid. Although smoking is harmful, older people have to decide for themselves what they do," she said.
However, Listhaug is a minority voice among Norwegian politicians. With the exception of her party and four Conservative MPs, all parties have asked the Government to propose legislation that extends Norway's current limited smoking ban to all public places. Karl Erik Lund from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health told Norway's Dagbladet newspaper that it won't be long before the same ban seen in Sweden is introduced in Norway.
Is snus a viable alternative?
Official figures reported by AP show only 11% of Sweden's 10 million population smoked daily in 2016. A further 10% said they smoked occasionally. Similar figures are seen in Norway. However, while the use of cigarettes is in decline, it's a different story with snus.
The small bags of powdered tobacco typically placed under the upper lip are illegal in all European Union countries except Sweden, which has an exemption. Its use is also legal in Norway. Official figures released in 2018 showed that the use of snus was more popular than cigarettes in Norway for the first time ever. The law change could see a similar shift in Sweden.
While campaigners claim promoting snus as an alternative to smoking cigarettes would improve public health, the Norwegian Cancer Association says that there are indications that regular use increases the risk of cancer in the pancreas, stomach and mouth. "The use of snus is far less harmful than smoking, but is nevertheless associated with an increased risk of serious health damage. In addition to nicotine, which is highly addictive, snus contains carcinogens," states the association's website.
