A proposal to implement the tobacco advertising ban that was accepted in a referendum by a majority voters in February 2022, was rejected by parliament this week, reported RTS. Some on the left argued it was too lax, while some on the right complained that it was too strict.
The referendum wording is focused on preventing advertising to children and young people. The central challenge is finding a way to enable advertising to adults but not children, a particular problem in the world of online media and at events and places where both adults and young people are present.
One sticking point was how to treat mobile tobacco sales people where children might be present. These people are walking talking advertisements. Research clearly show the link between smoking parents and smoking children. It isn’t a stretch to expect mobile tobacco sales people to have a persuasive effect. The counter argument is that companies ought to have some freedom to sell their products.
Switzerland has comparatively loose rules on tobacco advertising. Some Swiss universities, where most are young, have vending machines that sell tobacco products. And cigarettes are cheap due to low taxes. This laxness is reflected in high rates of tobacco consumption (27% of the population smokes), which brings a healthcare cost that is carried by everyone.
The proposal will be sent back to the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, for further debate.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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