Finland is never far from the top of the Nanny State Index and this year is no exception. Adjusted for income, its alcohol taxes are the third highest in the list but its temperance legislation is not quite as extensive as Lithuania’s. Indeed, its alcohol retail monopoly was weakened in June 2024 when grocery stores were permitted to sell fermented alcohol products with a strength of up to 8% ABV. This followed a sliver of liberalisation in 2018 when the Alcohol Act allowed the sale of alcoholic drinks of up to 5.5% in grocery stores and permitting restaurants to advertise their happy hour discounts. Restaurant opening hours were relaxed and the state-owned retailer Alko has had its closing time pushed back from 8pm to 9pm.

These modest measures, which were opposed by ‘public health’ campaigners, represent the limits of Finnish liberalisation. Nearly all alcohol advertising outdoors was banned in 2015. Spirits cannot be advertised in any media. Wine and beer can only be advertised on television after 10pm. Smoking is prohibited on public beaches between May and September. Plain packaging for tobacco and e-cigarette products was introduced in May 2023.

Finland has draconian regulation of e-cigarettes, including a ban on all flavours except tobacco and a tax on vape juice of €3 per standard bottle. Internet and cross-border sales of e-cigarette products have been illegal since June 2017. Nicotine pouches were legalised as consumer products in 2023 having previously been regulated as medicines.

Perhaps due to the cold climate, Finland has a less draconian smoking ban than some EU countries and permits designated smoking rooms, but vaping is banned wherever smoking is banned and some outdoor areas are included. In addition to a total ban on tobacco advertising, there is a retail display ban and a vending machine ban.

The explicit goal of Finnish tobacco control policies is to make Finland not only a smoke-free but also a nicotine-free country. The Tobacco Act, which came into force in August 2016, banned smoking in cars carrying children under the age of 15. Although snus is popular, all smokeless tobacco is banned and e-cigarettes are subject to the same regulation as tobacco, including a full advertising ban. Not only does this ban include e-cigarettes, it also includes products that resemble tobacco products, such as liquorice pipes. Shops have to buy a licence to sell tobacco and the price of the licences has risen sharply since 2016 in a deliberate attempt to discourage retailers from selling it. The new Tobacco Act also allows housing corporations to apply for a licence to make smoking illegal on their balconies and outdoor areas.

Finland abolished its taxes on confectionery, chocolate and ice cream in January 2017. A tax on fizzy drinks remains in place at a rate of €0.22 per litre of sugar-sweetened drinks and €0.11 per litre of non-sugary drinks.

With thanks to the Tero Lundstedt, Libera Foundation