Norwegian government should tighten tobacco policy. They debated banning flavored snus and future Norwegians refusing to buy tobacco — for life.
– Norway has been a leader in public health work. It is important for us to tighten the structure and direction, says Hans Inge Mirwald.
He is the Center Party’s Health Policy Spokesperson and sits on the Health and Care Committee in the Storting.
About 6,000 people die every year in Norway from smoking. In March, Health Minister Ingvild Kerkol (AP) presented a public health report in which the government is, among other things, coming up with a new tobacco strategy. A tobacco-free society is the long-term goal.
– Will Norwegian tobacco policy tighten?
– I would say a tightness, says Myrvold.
– In terms of laws and structures what we go through in Storting is one thing, but the direction we choose must also ensure that people are united. He further informed that there is a lot of discussion in the parties regarding this.
Life ban
Sources in Viji say the ruling party is mulling a lifelong ban on tobacco for future generations.
In 2022, New Zealand passed such legislation. People born after 2008 can never buy smokes or other tobacco products, write BBC.
This means that the number of people allowed to buy tobacco will decrease every year. And future generations will never be old enough to buy a smoke or snuff.
– This is clearly what we have brought to work, and we have worked. For SP, it was an important contribution to the discussions, says Mirwald.
The SP’s political plan says they will work on a new tobacco strategy “with concrete proposals for measures to achieve a tobacco-free youth generation”.
This proposal is supported by the Norwegian Cancer Society in their input to the Norwegian Public Health Service. They propose banning tobacco sales to anyone born after 2010.
Taste inhibition
According to VG, the government has also discussed banning flavored snus. Licorice and mint-flavored snus are popular in Norway, but traditional snus tastes just as good, according to manufacturers. Even the General is flavored with bergamot – like Earl Gray tea.
Do you think flavored snuff should be banned?
The Cancer Society proposes banning “characteristic flavors that appeal to young people” in a public health announcement. It is this kind of taste that the ruling party is said to have discussed about prohibition.
Banning flavored snus was not the main focus of the work, Mirwald says.
– But yes, it was on the table. In particular, we looked at how other countries handled it.
It became known recently Finland Tobacco policy could be drastically tightened by raising the age limit for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 20 – and a total ban on snuff.
Finland is part of the European Union where the sale of snus is prohibited. The only exception is Sweden, the home of snus.
Although sales are prohibited, it is currently legal to introduce snus for personal use in EU countries. That’s why many Finns buy snus in Sweden. But now Finland is considering banning snus imports from neighboring countries.
Non smoking areas
In 2004, indoor smoking was banned in restaurants. The so-called No Smoking Act was controversial when it was adopted, but it has been a huge success: the number of daily smokers has fallen from one-third in 2001 to seven percent in 2022.
Since 2004, there have been many restrictions on where smoking is allowed in Norway.
This month it emerged that Finland is considering banning smoking in outdoor restaurants and at home for apartment dwellers. In 2022, they introduced a ban on smoking in playgrounds and public beaches.
Now the Norwegian ruling parties are also discussing making more places smoke-free, confirm Myhrvold and other sources VG spoke to.
– Today there are relatively strong restrictions on this. At the same time because it is so harmful to health, people get independent life, Myhrwald says and continues:
– But the answer is yes, we have considered various reinforcing elements to confirm the direction set some time ago.
– Not the country
The Ministry of Health and Welfare would not comment on the matter.
– State Secretary Ole Henrik Grad Björkold (AP) writes in an email to VG that the government’s tobacco strategy will be informed in connection with the public health report.
A. Røed is also a Labor Party parliamentary representative and sits on the Health and Care Committee.
– We are working with the Tobacco Strategy, which aims to reduce tobacco harm in society. The most important thing it can do is prevent more people from using tobacco, he tells VG.
Røed would not say which measures are now being considered:
– This is an ongoing task where we are evaluating the totality of activities, but we have not finally landed it yet, he tells VG.
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