According to the usual definition of the term, less than five percent of the people there pick up a cigarette. It is currently 5.6 percent. For comparison: In Austria, this rate is around 25 percent.
The Swedes did it by gradually banning smoking from everyday life. Smoking has been banned in restaurants since 2005, and other strict regulations have been gradually introduced in recent years – with great approval from the population.
Banned from public view
Since 2019 it has been forbidden to smoke outside of restaurants and bars, as well as on playgrounds and sports fields, bus stops or train stations. Recently, a ban on smoking in public places came into force. The health authority sees this as an important step for the health of the population. Passive smoking should also be reduced in this way.
Nevertheless: Sweden will soon be smoke-free, but the country is far from being tobacco or nicotine-free. Many former cigarette smokers have now switched to oral tobacco snus, as the “Spiegel” reports.
more on the subject
What Happens in Your Body When You Quit Smoking
