A major European country could be about to become the first nation in the world to ban smoking.
The previous goal set by Finland in 2010 was to go smoke-free by 2040, but the updated legislation now mentions 2030 as the new target.
In the meantime, capsule cigarettes that activate a taste such as menthol or blackcurrant when squeezed are getting banned outright.
Annual control fees charged from every retailer selling nicotine products are also being increased - with costs reaching as high as €500 at point of sale.
Historically, the country has been ahead of the trend in making life tough for smokers. Advertising of nicotine products has been banned since back in 1978, smoking at the workplace since 1995, and in bars and restaurants since 2007.
Speaking in 2010 about the initial proposals to ban cigs, Ilkka Oksala, state secretary in the health ministry, said: "The goal is to get rid of smoking once and for all. It is a long-term goal, but still we are going to achieve it.
"Of course, this would mean the end of the tobacco industry if all the countries in the world took the same kind of steps as we are.
"We have had negotiations with that industry, naturally, but to be quite honest our goal is against their business. At the moment, it is legal to manufacture tobacco here, but we will make many changes to help people stop smoking."
Finland isn't the only nation looking to get tough on smoking, just this week Russia announced it was considering a permanent ban on selling cigarettes to people born in 2014 or later.
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Putin Cigarettes Out For Good
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Russian President Vladimir Putin last week announced plans to rid Russia of cigs once and for all, with anyone born after 2014 banned from buying cigarettes while tabs are deemed as bad as buying illegal drugs.
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Cigarettes are far cheaper in Russia than in Western Europe, with a packet of Marlboro Reds costing just £1.10.
Nikolai Gerasimenko, a member of the Russian parliament's health committee, said: "This goal is absolutely ideologically correct."
Even though this law could soon come into effect, it will only make a tangible difference in the 2030s, when those growing up who would have previously have been allowed to purchase cigarettes no longer having that right.
Currently, people aged 18 and over can legally buy tobacco in Russia, so even if it was ratified this year it would be at least 2035 before the proposed law would be properly implemented.
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Fewer people smoke in Russia than ever before, with statistics showing that around 31 percent of the nation are smokers, (the UK is around 19 percent). But after introducing public restrictions on smoking in 2013 in Russia, it looks highly plausible that the Kremlin may well go further and incorporate an outright ban.
The Law In Britain
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Since 1 July 2007 smoking has been banned in all enclosed public places in England including pubs, bars and restaurants.
You have to be 18 to buy cigarettes in all the United Kingdom, although the minimum age to smoke in public in England and Wales is 16.
From May all tobacco products sold here will be sold in standardised 'plain' packaging. They will have large graphic images on the front and back of the packets to highlight the health effects of smoking and health warnings must appear at the top of all packs.
However, the government is yet to announce any bans on tobacco sales along the lines of what is being proposed in Finland and Russia.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Cigarettes, Smoking