Open-air festivals to be spared from fenced smoking areas

Ministry wants to ban smoking in front of the stage

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Plans have been laid out to ban smoking in front of the stage at various open-air summer festivals.
      In front of the main stage at public events such as rock concerts, a marked-off area is being planned inside of which smoking would be prohibited.
      The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) and festival organisers have reached consensus with regard to how the limiting of smoking at festivals should be organised.
      “Together with the festival organisers we have come up with solutions that can now be discussed with the Parliamentary Social Affairs and Health Committee”, says STM Ministerial Advisor Ismo Tuominen.
     
”In practice, for example a line drawn on the ground could mark the area in front of the bandstand, inside of which smoking is not allowed”, festival promoter Juhani Merimaa explains.
      Outside the marked area, one could smoke cigarettes just like when walking on the street. So, it seems that cordoned-off smoking areas - which did not meet with much approval from punters or promoters - will not be introduced at various open-air events after all.
     
According to Tuominen, the smoking ban would apply to the areas where there are lots of people packed tightly together watching the performance or waiting for it to start.
      Further away from the stage, for example on the picnic blankets, smoking would be allowed.
      Merimaa is worried that enforcing the ban in front of the stage might nevertheless be difficult in practice.
      “Should someone light a cigarette in the middle of the crowd, it would be quite an operation to get that person out of there.”
     
Parliament is currently discussing the government’s proposal for a new and stiffer tobacco act. For example, having cigarettes visible at points of sale would be banned.
      In the view of MP Juha Rehula (Centre), who chairs the Parliamentary Social Affairs and Health Committee, the stipulations regarding smoking at outdoor events should be made as unambiguous as possible.
      Rehula’s committee is waiting for the Constitutional Committee’s stand for example on the article contained within the draft act, according to which the aim of the act on tobacco should be for smoking to be brought to an end in Finland.
      The ambitious plans have provoked a certain amount of international attention of the "Finland to outlaw smoking" variety.
      According to the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee, MP Kimmo Sasi (Nat. Coalition Party), the report on the matter will be completed in a couple of weeks’ time at the earliest.
      The smoking restrictions at festivals look unlikely to come into force before the summer of 2011.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Government wants to ban smoking at open-air concerts and sports events (5.10.2009)

See also:
  Planned legislation to ban smoking in cars while children are inside (16.9.2009)
  Finland considers further tightening of Tobacco Act (5.2.2009)

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