Tobacco and nicotine products
The objective of the Tobacco Act is to end the use of tobacco products and other nicotine-containing products that are toxic to humans and cause addiction. The Tobacco Act lays down provisions on measures to prevent people from taking up the use of tobacco products and developing a nicotine addiction, to promote the cessation of the consumption of tobacco products and similar products and to protect the population from exposure to smoke from such products.
Smoking prohibitions
Under the Tobacco Act (549/2016), smoking is prohibited
1) in the indoor areas of buildings, vehicles or similar places that are accessible to the public or employees or accessible to customers for the purpose of providing commercial or public services;
2) in shelters, auditoriums and other spectator areas at public events organised outdoors or other facilities that are directly intended for following the event and where participants stay in one place;
3) in the outdoor areas of day-care centres or institutions providing pre-primary, basic, vocational or upper secondary education.
Smoking is also prohibited in private vehicles with anyone under the age of 15 present in the vehicle. The prohibition does not apply to living areas inside vehicles.
The Environmental Health Services supervise compliance with the smoking prohibitions laid down in the Tobacco Act in connection with inspections set out in the environmental health supervision plan and national supervision campaigns.
The website of National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) contains information on the Tobacco Act and its supervision.
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Sales of tobacco products
Tobacco products and nicotine-containing liquids may only be sold under a retail licence granted by the municipality where the sales outlet is located. A retail licence is also a precondition for purchasing tobacco products and nicotine-containing liquids from wholesale for retail use. In Kuopio, licences for selling tobacco are processed by the City of Kuopio’s Environmental Health Services.
You can find the application form and instructions for filling it in on the website of the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira). The electronic application is automatically directed to the retail licence register and the municipality where the tobacco sales outlet is to be located.
Retail licence applications must be submitted well in advance before the selling of the products commences. The processing period for a tobacco retail licence application pursuant to the Tobacco Act is 40 days.
The City of Kuopio charges a fee for granting the licence and supervision of sales in accordance with the approved rates.
Sales of nicotine products
Nicotine products may be sold under a licence granted by the municipality and under supervision to persons aged over 18. In Kuopio, licences for selling nicotine products are processed by the City of Kuopio’s Environmental Health Services.
Retail licence applications must be submitted well in advance before the selling of the products commences. The processing period for a nicotine product retail licence application pursuant to the Medicines Act (395/1987) is 30 days.
The City of Kuopio charges a fee for granting the licence and supervision of sales in accordance with the approved rates.
Application form for retail licence for nicotine products (pdf)
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Smoking bans in housing corporations
The Tobacco Act prohibits smoking in the shared and public indoor areas of housing corporations.
A housing corporation may prohibit smoking in shared outdoor areas under its control, near the entrances and air inlets of the building, in children’s play areas and on shared balconies.
A housing corporation may submit an application requesting the municipality to impose a ban that forbids smoking on the balconies of individual apartments in a building belonging to the housing corporation, in the outdoor areas to which the apartments have access, and inside apartments. In this case, the content of the application should be as laid down in the Government Decree on Smoking Areas and Applying for a Smoking Ban for a Housing Corporation.
The Finnish Real Estate Management Federation and the Finnish Real Estate Federation have published instructions describing the course of the application process and procedures for submitting the application.
Jyrki Hänninen
Environmental Health Inspector
Environmental Health Services