A Danish citizen who was born in 2010 or later will never be able to buy tobacco in their country.
That is, at least, the goal of the Social Democratic government of Mette Frederiksen.
Her Health Minister, Magnus Heunicke, has just presented the
proposals for the health reform
that will be discussed between all the parties in Parliament starting this week.
Another of the most striking measures is to raise the minimum age to purchase alcohol from 16 to 18 years.
According to Heunicke,
new ideas are needed to take care of the mental and physical health of young people
.
Therefore, the Government is ready to introduce the aforementioned ban on the sale of tobacco and nicotine products.
However, there are significant legal difficulties that considerably complicate its implementation.
The center-right opposition, moreover, is currently totally opposed to the social democratic plan.
"We have to look each other in the eye and decide
if we should solve the problem
or just keep talking about it," said Heunicke at the introductory press conference.
"If we want to fix these problems and
really prevent poor physical and mental health in this generation
, and if we want to protect it, we need new perspectives."
Obstacles to achieving the standard
"Now, to achieve this
we will come up against very complicated legal obstacles that will have to be solved
", the minister acknowledged.
"But the goal is clearly to be smoke-free in the generation of 2010 and later. That's why we're willing to take this step."
At the moment,
it seems difficult for the Government to obtain broad political support
for its proposal, which is inspired by a similar initiative announced last December in New Zealand, although in this case bringing forward the key year of the ban to 2008.
The Danish centre-right opposition considers this to be an unacceptable interference with people's right to decide.
"These children will become adults and, when they reach a certain age, they will discover that they cannot buy tobacco, while those who were born the previous year can," said the Conservatives' health spokesman, Per Larsen.
"We think this is just a massive interference in people's way of life."
Both Larsen and Martin Geertsen, spokesman for Health of the Liberals, have indicated that they share the Government's ambition that adolescents do not start smoking, but consider that the ban on sales is not the right way forward.
"
We will not support a ban on selling to people born after 2010
," Geertsen said.
"It would leave us in the paradoxical situation that a 28-year-old citizen can buy a pack of cigarettes, while a 27-year-old cannot."
More receptive has been the spokesman for Health of the Unitary List (extreme left), Peder Hvelplund: "We will always be in favor of proposals that help reduce health inequalities and reinforce prevention.
We must confirm that we have an incredibly aggressive tobacco industry and creative in introducing young people to nicotine addiction.
Very few people experience tobacco as something that is used recreationally, that is, an occasional cigarette. The problem is that many young people become addicted."
The social liberals (centre-left) are more skeptical.
"It is positive that the Government has taken an ambitious approach and we share their vision of a smoke-free future," said Stinus Lindgreen, spokesman for Health.
"But
it seems a little strange to us that, in the future, retailers have to ask adults
who want to buy tobacco if they were born before 2010. I don't have enough information yet to say if this is the right direction."
Raise the minimum age for alcohol consumption to 18
In addition to banning tobacco for future generations,
the Danish government also wants, as in Spain and in most of the EU, to raise the age limit
for buying all types of alcohol to 18 years.
"A bad culture has been created around our young people, where for example we see that when they start higher education, it often means that they have to indulge in very wild and uncontrolled alcohol consumption at large parties," Heunicke denounced. .
"Some are too young for that. That is why we are proposing a new framework for prevention."
According to a
World Health Organization (WHO)
study published in 2020, 15-year-old Danes were among the highest drinkers in Europe and among the most often drunk.
82% of Danish 15-year-olds had tried alcohol, while the European average was 59% (67% in Spain).
According to the study, 65% of 15-year-old Danes had drunk alcohol in the last month and 42% had gotten drunk at least twice.
This last figure was approximately double the European and Spanish averages.
The director of the Danish part of the study, Mette Rasmussen, observed that
there is a "drastic change" between the ages of 13 and 15
: "They start to party and become part of a culture in which alcohol is a natural part of socializing with friends.
Denmark is currently the most permissive Scandinavian country
when it comes to the sale of alcohol.
From the age of 16, young people can buy drinks with an alcohol content of up to 16.5% in stores and supermarkets.
From the age of 18 they can buy any type of alcoholic beverage.
In
Sweden
, the
minimum age is 18,
but
only for drinks with less than 3.5% alcohol
.
From then on, the sale is made through state-controlled shops called Systembolaget.
To buy in them you need to be over 20 years old.
These state stores close on Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and do not open on Sundays.
The Norwegian system is very similar to the Swedish
one, with a state monopoly on stores called Vinmonopolet.
Conforms to The Trust Project criteria
Know more
Denmark
alcohol consumption
smoking
Sweden
Finland
Europe
sustainabilityThe baby food startup that threatens the giants
ProfessionViolence against doctors returns: 612 cases in 2021
Covid-19The mask disappears today from some British flights and airports
See links of interest
Last News
Time change 2022
Oscars movies where to watch
Oscar nominees
best colleges
It is written to have or to see
Topics
Work calendar 2022
Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Real Madrid
Alba Berlin - Barca