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– This will be an important contribution to improve public health and so that fewer young people start smoking, says Sølvi Ona Gjul (Labor).
We meet the health politician in the popular seaside resort of Vaulen, which is a favorite destination for grilling, swimming and ice cream in summer.
This is one of the places where smoking may soon be banned.
– Children and young people deserve protection against passive smoking, and the areas used by them are especially important, he says.
The proposal relates to the budget proposal of the Labor Party, SV, MDG, Rødt, Sp and FNB in Stavanger for 2021.
Gjul believes that non-smoking outdoor areas will make Stavanger a more attractive city for children and young people.
PROPOSAL: Sølvi Ona Gjul (Labor Party) is at the forefront of the proposal. Photo: Gunnar Ringen Johansen / TV 2
He will bring with him the rest of the country
As far as she knows, no other municipality has introduced a similar ban on smoking.
In the municipality of Tromsø, there is a ban on smoking in outdoor areas, but Stavanger wants to go one step further.
In addition to places to bathe, he cites playgrounds, bus stops, pedestrian streets and sports facilities as examples of places where breathing may be prohibited.
– If Stavanger can now become a pioneer municipality, then I think it is positive and I will encourage other municipalities to do the same, says Gjul.
Praise the proposal
For several years, the Norwegian Cancer Society has run anti-smoking campaigns in public spaces and challenged restaurants and bars to make their outdoor cafes non-smoking.
The fact that Stavanger goes further creates enthusiasm for Camilla Gram, who is the association’s district director in Rogaland.
– This will make Stavanger a more pleasant and healthy city. Now we can wait for the bus and sunbathe on the beach without exposing ourselves to passive smoking. This is especially important for children and young people, he says.
HEALTH: Camilla Gram from the Norwegian Cancer Society rejoices at the initiative. Photo: Gunnar Ringen Johansen / TV 2
Gram believes that people will learn to appreciate a smoke-free urban landscape, in the same way as under the smoking law that was introduced 16 years ago.
– 94 percent of the population supports this law today. I don’t think anyone wants to go back to the days when smoking was allowed on buses, planes, or restaurants. In a few years, we will probably think the same about outdoor areas. Our kids can’t understand smoking being allowed inside dense bus stops or on the beach, says Gram.
Feeling mistreated
But there are still some who criticize the restricted rights of smokers.
– Now I think it’s starting to get a bit difficult, says Per Inge Torkelsen.
CRITICAL: Per Inge Torkelsen believes that society treats smokers badly. Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB
The popular Stavanger comedian has been skeptical for many years about the way society treats smokers.
– I would like to see an overview of where smoking is actually allowed. I can understand the ban on smoking indoors, but if you’re not allowed to smoke outdoors either, then there aren’t many alternatives left, he says.
Torkelsen believes that no other group is treated in the same way as the roughly 500,000 who still smoke daily in Norway.
– I want people to stop smoking, but this is not like peanuts or homemade juices. This is a poison that you get addicted to. If there are people who have smoked for 40, 50 or 60 years, then they may be allowed a little loophole, he says.
Investigate the crown myth that smoking protects against the crown
Fewer and fewer smokers
Research shows that smoking is the single most important risk factor for cancer in Norway. It is the leading cause of lung cancer, which is the form of cancer that claims the most lives in this country.
This message seems to go home with most people. According to statistics from Statistics Norway, nine percent of the Norwegian population will smoke daily in 2020.
In 2018, Kantar TNS conducted a survey on behalf of the Norwegian Cancer Society, where Norwegians were asked about their views on various outdoor smoking bans.
Between seven and eight out of ten responded at that time that they fully agreed that a ban should be introduced in playgrounds and amusement parks for children.
Sixty-one percent favored a ban on public stops, while around half supported a ban on public bathing areas, outdoor cafes, concerts, and festivals.
CIGARETTE: There are still many who like to smoke outside. Now it can be difficult in Stavanger. Photo: Gunnar Ringen Johansen / TV 2
Will put up posters
The Stavanger municipality is now asking the municipal director to present a case on what an outdoor ban can look like and how it should be done in practice.
– Then we have to go back to how it will be exactly, but I imagine that, among other things, we will put up posters in the relevant places, says Gjul.
The Norwegian Cancer Society is working to get the national authorities to expand the law on smoking. They envision a completely tobacco-free society.
– Until it is in place, we encourage as many municipalities as possible to follow Stavanger’s good example. So we get nicer, healthier outdoor areas with even less tobacco and where fewer people get cancer, says Gram.
