The Finnish government has a goal set to make Finland a tobacco-free area. They’d like to do this to benefit people’s health and the country’s bank balances. Finland plans the make the country tobacco-free by the year 2040.

In Finland, the percentage of smokers has went down due to the country banning advertisements and shop displays for smoking. There are numerous smoking free areas in the Finnish community. In 2013 the smoking rate went down to 16% due to these actions according to CNN. They’d like it to go down to 2% or less.

“Smoking can give people permanent health issues. It can use up people’s money. Nicotine can cause someone to become addicted. Teens should not smoke and if they make a choice to do smoke, it should at the proper age,” said Alexandra Royer.

Finland tries to take precautions from all areas to prevent cigarette use. They limit exposure of tobacco products to the public. The use of e-cigarettes and other similar products are not advocated. The Finnish government wants to prevent all uses of cigarettes and other tobacco products. They’ve decided to raise the price of tobacco. “The evidence suggests increasing pricing is the single most effective way to reduce demand,” said Vaughan Rees.

“I feel that smoking is only okay if you’re older. I feel that teenagers who smoke are making some really bad choices because their lungs can become damaged. Smoking could possibly cause lung cancer and breathing issues,” said Silvia Metz.

“The Finnish approach is revolutionary. We want to get rid of all tobacco products,” said Kaari Paaso who is head of the unit on harm prevention at the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs according to CNN.  The Finland government wants to make it illegal to smoke in cars and on balconies. There are already bans for smoking on some balconies.

Finland is not the only country that is trying to get rid of smoking. All across the world, countries are trying to reduce smoking. Finland is the first country to set a goal to end the problem completely. The Finnish government hopes to inspire other countries to promote an end to smoking.