Espoo's city council voted to make the city smoke free from the beginning of 2010. City offices will no longer have smoking areas outside their doors or in their yards. Furthermore, workplace kiosks and cafes are considering whether to discontinue tobacco sales.
According to the law on tobacco, smoking is forbidden inside municipal buildings as well as in the yards of daycares, educational facilities and youth activity centres. Spectators at sporting events are also banned from smoking in the stands.
In the future, all city functions will be smoke free.
Officials hope to provide a good example for children and youth, says Eriikka Koistinen, the communications director of Espoo’s Social and Health Services.
“It has to begin somewhere if we want change. Doing away with smoking areas and banning tobacco are visible and concrete ways to do that,” Koistinen says.
Free nicotine replacement products
About 15 percent of Espoo city workers are smokers. Work health centres are supporting employees who wish to quit smoking by offering tobacco replacement products funded by the city.
”We do not intend to become tobacco police, but the majority of smokers want to quit and the city is offering support.”
Espoo youth have also taken a stand in support of smoke-free areas by calling for a ban on smoking at bus stops.