Reducing the number of tobacco outlets supports smoking cessation
The objective of the Finnish Tobacco Act is to end the use of tobacco and nicotine products by 2030. This target is considered to have been achieved if no more than 5% of the population uses tobacco or nicotine products. This is possible if fewer people start smoking and more people manage to quit smoking.
More than half of Finns who smoke daily would like to quit, but less than half of those who smoke – and only under a third of men who smoke – have tried to seriously quit in the previous year.
This year, the theme of the World No Tobacco Day, which is observed on 31 May, is the support for quitting smoking. At the same time, the Government proposal to reform the Tobacco Act is in consultation.
Smoking has been successfully reduced in Finland by various legislative means, such as smoke-free environments, advertising bans and tobacco price increases.
However, the methods to reduce smoking under the tobacco policy have focused on influencing demand with less attention paid to supply. In order to help more people succeed in quitting smoking, more attention should be paid to the supply of tobacco products in addition to developing the support services.
A distance of more than 500 metres from home to a shop selling tobacco increases the likelihood of quitting smoking successfully
The number and density of tobacco outlets play a key role in terms of the supply of tobacco products, and these factors can be influenced by means such as licensing requirements and licence fees. In recent years, some countries have added target-oriented delimitation and reduction of sales outlets in their tobacco policies as tools for reducing tobacco sales.
In 2020, the Netherlands banned the sales of tobacco products in supermarkets by 2024. After 2030, tobacco products may only be sold by specialist shops. When the decision was issued, more than half of tobacco was sold in supermarkets. Limiting tobacco sales to specific shops is one of the means proposed by the New Zealand Government to achieve the country’s Smokefree 2025 objective.
Studies have shown that the number and locations of tobacco outlets have an impact. Studies conducted in Finland have shown, for instance, that the likelihood of quitting smoking successfully increases if the distance from home to a shop selling tobacco is over 500 metres. International models and studies have shown that limiting the number of tobacco outlets has health benefits.
Regulation of supply brings additional means for reducing socio-economic health inequalities
International studies have shown that there are socio-economic differences in the locations of tobacco outlets. This has not yet been studied in Finland.
However, the differences in the prevalence of smoking between different educational backgrounds have increased in Finland. New means are needed to bridge these gaps, and regulation of supply could be one of these means.
Limiting the sales of tobacco products to specific shops would certainly spark a discourse on the equality of retail outlets. However, several international stakeholders have decided to stop selling tobacco products on their own initiative, which is what Lidl did in the Netherlands in 2018. The decision was driven by reduced tobacco sales and other factors, such as matters related to responsibility. In Finland, Halpa-Halli, for instance, does not sell tobacco products, which has not had a negative impact on the growth of its turnover.
The public opinion on the restriction of tobacco outlets has been positive. A total of 60% of Finns were in favour of reducing the number of tobacco outlets as early as in 2012.
So the question is, is it finally time to start limiting the number of tobacco outlets in a target-oriented manner? There is less than 10 years to reach the objective of the Tobacco Act.
Read more
Tobacco retail density: still the new frontier in tobacco control (Wiley Online Library)
Proximity to a tobacco store and smoking cessation: a cohort study (BMJ Journals)