According to an article in Tribune de Genève, some cigarette vendors are desperately searching for supplies of the drug to meet demand. Recently kiosques in Geneva started selling low strength cannabis like they sell cigarettes. Some kiosque owners are over the moon, while others desperately search for a supplier. One vendor told Tribune de Genève: […]
Government stops tax rises on Swiss cigarettes
Swiss cigarette prices will not rise over the coming years unless manufacturers increase the underlying price. On Tuesday, Switzerland’s Council of States (upper house), withheld permission to allow the Federal Council (cabinet) to continue hiking the tax on smokes. From 2005 to 2015, the price of Switzerland’s best selling cigarettes rose from CHF 6 to […]
Swiss drug prices more than double european average – “Mr Price” takes aim
Switzerland’s public price watchdog chief, Stefan Meierhans, also know as “Mr Price”, has taken aim at high Swiss drug prices. A report published last week shows prices of generic drugs are nearly 2.4 times more expensive in Switzerland compared to the average price across 15 european countries. Generic drugs in the Netherlands cost 8% of what […]
Soft drink tax proposal criticized by industry
20 Minutes. Vaud state councillor Pierre-Yves Maillard has proposed a new cantonal tax on soft drinks to fund dental care. The plan would combine the money raised by this tax with a new social security tax of up to 0.06% of salaries. The combined projected CHF 38 million collected, would fund 50% of dental care costs […]
Scabies reappears in Swiss schools
20 Minutes. Scabies, a disease also known as the seven year itch, has reappeared in Swiss schools. The contagious skin infection is cased by a mite and is spread through skin contact and occasionally by sharing clothes. In French it is called gale. In german it goes by the name of Krätze. Symptoms include intense itching and a […]
Swiss fact: one in seven Swiss drink no alcohol
A recent report1 shows that around 1 in 7 Swiss drink no alcohol. Of the 13.8% who avoid alcohol completely, 6.5% have avoided it all their lives, while a further 7.3% are former drinkers who haven’t consumed alcohol over the last 12 months. The number of Swiss non-drinkers has climbed since 2011 when only 11.7% […]
The ski cola index – why Swiss resorts’ lower cola prices could be a bad thing
The website HomeToGo.fr has published its Ski Cola Index, a list of cola prices at certain European ski resorts. The prices are for a 330 ml cola in restaurants on the mountain. On this measure, Swiss resorts are far from the most expensive. The most expensive Swiss resort, Verbier, came in 6th, with a 330 ml […]
One in four Swiss military recruits is overweight
20 Minutes. In 2015, 19% of Swiss military recruits were overweight and 6% were obese, according to World Health Organisation measures. The University of Zurich was asked by the Swiss federal office of public health to analyse the BMI (Body Mass Indicator) data of 36,669 male recruits between the ages of 18 and 21. Swiss […]
Chinese president visits Lausanne
On his way from Davos to Geneva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, stopped in Lausanne where he visited the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters and its president Thomas Bach. It is the first time a Chinese leader has visited the Olympic city. He arrived yesterday evening and visited the IOC today. The two leaders chatted about […]
Changes to health insurance zones could lead to steep premium rises for some
In Switzerland, how much you pay for compulsory health insurance depends on where you live. Premiums vary hugely by canton. For 2016, average monthly adult premiums in Basel City are CHF 545.60, Switzerland’s most expensive, compared to CHF 326.70, in lowest-cost Appenzell-Innerhoden. The difference between the two cantons is 40%. In addition to big differences between […]
