Finland aims to eliminate smoking

[Cheese]

Finally a country with Balls!

Finland's government aims to phase out smoking completely within the next 30 years.
"This new law proposal says, according to paragraph one, that we will get rid of smoking once and for all in Finland," said Ilkka Oksala, the Finnish state secretary of health.

About one in five Finns smoke. On the streets of Helsinki, some smokers said they supported the government's approach, calling smoking a "stupid habit," and that they don't want children to pick up.

[SoulOfTheFlame]

Awesome. More power to them.

[jayswin]

That would be awesome if they achieved that.

[octothorp]

I'm disappointed that the article doesn't interview Kipper for his opinion.

[Skate around the circle]

I guess I won't be heading there soon. Watching the news the other night and they were saying that obesity has now overtaken smoking as the #1 health risk,maybe the gov. should start taxing the hell out of all those .99 burgers out there.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Skate around the circle

I guess I won't be heading there soon. Watching the news the other night and they were saying that obesity has now overtaken smoking as the #1 health risk,maybe the gov. should start taxing the hell out of all those .99 burgers out there.

There are lots of measures being taken to combat obesity. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Governments can take measures against obesity AND still go hard on eliminating smoking.

[Poison]

Alright im sure im opening up a "healthy debate" but i really dont understand why the kudos when rights are being taken away.

Now to start i will note i am a smoker but what gives the government the right to ban smoking?
If they are anything like our government sure they say "stop smoking" in public, but do you honestly think they want the income they receive in taxes off cigerettes to stop?

Also im sure alot of you non-smokers will say it harms others, second hand smoke etc. but im sure these same people who dont smoke but drink would be mighty angry if they banned alcohol as i could make the same argument with drinking and driving killing innocent people.

Government has no right to take away these freedoms, now i read the article but did not notice anything to make smoking illegal, so what are they proposing to do, put up more signs???

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Poison

Now to start i will note i am a smoker but what gives the government the right to ban smoking?

The same "right" they have to make weed illegal. The same "right" that allows governments to have made alcohal illegal in the past. You may not agree with it, but they have the right to do it.

[Barnes]

Works so well for drugs and alchool.

I think I will move there and become a cigarette runner. Imagine me, racing across the Baltic from Russia with a hold full of Russian branded cigarettes.

[Devils'Advocate]

Under the proposed legislation:
Details of the long-term policy have not been spelled out.

What kind of article is that? Were they poking fun at the fact that they actually have no plan to achieve their goal?

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by flameswin

...but they have the right to do it.

Not the right, but the ability.

Anything that pisses off Phillip Morris, I'm good with.

[Ford Prefect]

Personally, a life without cognac and cigars is a life that's not worth living.

[kipperfan]

Interesting topic for me as I am currently abroad and have been shocked to find that smoking indoors (bars, hotels, cafes...etc) is still legal in many countries (Czech , Austria, Spain...etc). Personally I cannnot agree with banning smoking (IMO weed should also be legal to smoke outdoors as well), But the fact that a large portion of Euro nations allow it indoors is rather disturbing.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Poison

Alright im sure im opening up a "healthy debate" but i really dont understand why the kudos when rights are being taken away.

Because smoking is a revolting habit? And where does it say that smoking is a right?

Now to start i will note i am a smoker but what gives the government the right to ban smoking?

The voting public?

If they are anything like our government sure they say "stop smoking" in public, but do you honestly think they want the income they receive in taxes off cigerettes to stop?

I guess they're more concerned with human life then money.

Also im sure alot of you non-smokers will say it harms others, second hand smoke etc. but im sure these same people who dont smoke but drink would be mighty angry if they banned alcohol as i could make the same argument with drinking and driving killing innocent people.

This is an absolutely ######ed argument. You are aware that driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal right?

Government has no right to take away these freedoms, now i read the article but did not notice anything to make smoking illegal, so what are they proposing to do, put up more signs???

Smoking is a freedom? It's the exact opposite. It's an addiction.

[SeoulFire]

edit: above post had it

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by SeoulFire

Your analogy with drinking is extremely flawed.

I was going to attack his analogy, but we've had so many of these debates on CP, it just wasn't worth it.

Smokers believe what they believe, and anti smokers believe what they believe, and no one ever convinces the other side of anything. So the argument usually just goes in circles.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Smokers believe what they believe, and anti smokers believe what they believe, and no one ever convinces the other side of anything. So the argument usually just goes in circles.

As do most on the InterWebs.

[schteve_d]

Well, I can say good on 'em. I'm an ex-smoker for just over a year now and my only regret is that I didn't quit much, much sooner.

[Thor]

Iceland is really bad for smokers too, hope at least the bars have banned smoking inside, since I'm moving back in the summer.

[4X4]

I can't wait until Hitler is mentioned in this thread.