The government is working on a proposal that would effectively lead to shopkeepers selling under the counter chewing tobacco to lose their tobacco sales licenses.
The aim is to bridle growing illegal imports and sales of smokeless tobacco. In February, Finnish customs uncovered a broad smuggling ring which brought chewing tobacco into the country via cruise ships travelling between Finland and Sweden.
Smokeless tobacco products, which are banned in Finland, are being brought into the country in an increasingly organised manner, say customs authorities.
Custom officials report that some 3,000 kilos of smokeless tobacco have been brought into the country in the past few years. Chewing tobacco has been sold under the counter at some Finnish kiosks.
The government plans to bring its proposal before Parliament this spring.
The sale of oral snuff was banned in Finland in 1995 when Finland joined the EU, and was also banned on the Åland Islands in February of 2007. The provincial government in Åland has wanted the EU to allow ships registered in Åland to sell snuff at least while in Swedish waters, where snuff sales are legal. Without this special dispensation, Åland feels that it will lose a large part of its port-of-call business, as ships will choose to register in Sweden instead.