On the way to a tobacco- and nicotine-free Switzerland
The Swiss Association for Tobacco Control is the center of competence for tobacco prevention in Switzerland. As an umbrella organization for the promotion of non-smoking, it today comprises over 50 organizational members. AT Switzerland offers its members a broad network of experts and provides expertise on tobacco control and prevention. With evidence-based offers and the networking of the central actors, it is committed to a sustainably healthy and smoke-free Switzerland and at the same time offers the population a hand in quitting smoking and nicotine withdrawal.
An important field of action is the denormalization of the consumption of tobacco and nicotine products. This is because a large part of the population still regards the consumption of lethal tobacco and nicotine products as "normal". Furthermore, the protection of young people is at the center of its work and AT Switzerland would like to encourage smokers on their way to quitting smoking. Finally, AT Switzerland is very concerned to strengthen the protection of the population from passive smoke.
29.09.2021 |News
No ratification of the FCTC
Now it is clear: With the weak Tobacco Products Act, Switzerland will have the weakest rules for tobacco advertising in Europe. Ratification of the WHO Framework Convention (FCTC) is thus made impossible, as Federal Councillor Alain Berset emphasised.
Due to insufficient restrictions on sponsorship and advertising, Switzerland has not yet been able to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO). This will not change with the implementation of the new law. Health Minister Alain Berset (SP) expressed his disappointment after the debate. The bill is not a great step forward and the requirements for ratification of the Framework Convention have not been met.
Switzerland thus remains one of the last Western countries not to have ratified the international Framework Convention.
Insufficient protection of children and young people
In the autumn session, the Federal Assembly only agreed on minimal advertising restrictions. The only new advertising banned is that which is already banned in most cantons and/or whose importance for the tobacco industry is declining: Poster advertising, advertising in cinemas, on public transport, public buildings, on sports fields and sporting events. The decided restriction in print and online media corresponds to the current voluntary industry agreement, which is formulated in such a way that it remains ineffective.
Comparison with the current situation
More on the WHO Framework Convention: https://www.at schweiz.ch/en/topics/international/who-framework-convention?lang=en
Related news
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and Tobacco
Protection from second-hand smoke from your fellow human beings
The call for smoke-free indoor environments is based on clear evidence of health damage caused by passive smoking. In Switzerland, too, scientific research has demonstrated the positive health effects of legal protection against passive smoking.