Development of tobacco and nicotine policy : Proposals for action by the working group 2023

Abstract

On 7 February 2022, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health appointed a working group tasked with making proposals for legislative amendments and other measures that support and promote the end of the use of tobacco and nicotine products by 2030. The working group had three specific tasks related to preventing the use of all nicotine products (including nicotine replacement therapy products), improving the smoke-free environment of housing corporations and raising the purchasing age limit from 18 years of age.

Achieving the objective of the Tobacco Act requires the continuation and development of the current systematic and determined implementation of measures and the introduction of new measures. In order to achieve this objective, the proposals presented by the working group will need to be implemented already at the beginning of the next government term. The measures proposed in the report create the conditions for eliminating the use of tobacco and other nicotine products. Further efforts are needed every few years to achieve this goal. The working group considers that the implementation of the new proposals should always be included in the next government programme.

The working group's proposals concern taxation, prevention of starting the use of tobacco and nicotine products by young people, smoke-free environments, sales and marketing, support for quitting, passenger imports, regulation of new nicotine products, enhanced enforcement, and resourcing, monitoring and evaluation.