It is not possible to ban smoking on beaches according to Swedish law, but the municipality of Jönköping has found a way to try to get around it.
At the municipality’s bathing areas, the focus is instead on smoking areas, with benches and cast-in ashtrays. In this way, they hope to remove the smokers, and the prostitutes, from the beach.
– We cannot ban smoking, but we can encourage smokers to go to our places. This model might make bathers a little ashamed to smoke on the beach when there is now a smoking area, says Johan Heart, head of unit at the culture and leisure administration in Jönköping municipality to JP.
So far, there are smoke-free areas on four beaches in Jönköping municipality, but more are on the way.
Here you can read about the law that many tourists miss – son can lead to imprisonment for a year.