World No Tobacco Day 2023

-Automatic translation

On World No Tobacco Day, WHO highlights the ills of tobacco growing and the benefits of switching to more sustainable food crops for farmers, communities, economies, the environment, and the world at large. WHO urges governments to stop subsidizing tobacco farming and support more sustainable crops that could feed millions

Tobacco is responsible for 8 million deaths a year. Smoking has decreased in Iceland in the past decades, both among men and women. Results from 2022 indicate that 9% of adults in Iceland smoke cigarettes. Of these, 6.2% smoked daily and 2.8% less frequently. By comparison, 10.1% smoked in 2021, 7.2% daily, and 2.9% less frequently. The decline between 2021 and 2022 corresponds to approximately two thousand adults having quit smoking in the past year.

Many nations have set a goal of getting the daily smoking rate down to 5% but Iceland has almost reached this goal. The European Commission has announced that it will put forward actions to help create a "Tobacco-Free Generation" where less than 5 % of the population uses tobacco by 2040. This policy has been called endgame and is considered the basis for further measures in tobacco control, such as removing tobacco from general sale.

Tobacco-free nicotine pads are relatively new on the market, gaining widespread distribution. Nicotine is addictive and therefore undesirable for young people to start using nicotine pads. In June 2022, an amendment to Act No. 87/2018 on electronic cigarettes was adopted, incorporating tobacco-free nicotine pads into the Act. The main subject of the Act concerns the restriction of visibility on nicotine products, the age limit, and the defined maximum nicotine limit per unit of product. Furthermore, all forms of advertising of nicotine products are prohibited.

Assistance for those who want to stop using tobacco and nicotine is available without charge at Heilsuvera's Internet chats. It is open every day from 8 to 22.

Further information:
Viðar Jensson, project manager
hafsteinn.v.jensson@landlaeknir.is