Swiss decide to almost completely limit tobacco advertising, according to first results

The swiss voted this Sunday in favor of limiting almost all advertising for the tobaccoaccording to the first results of a consultation that show that 54% of voters approved this initiative.

The Federal Chancellery gives the winner to “Yes” with 54%, as well as in most of the cantons, both results being necessary to be able to approve the popular initiative. Final figures are expected towards evening.

“We are extremely happy,” Stefanie De Borba of the Swiss League Against Cancer told AFP at the publication of these first results. “People understood that health is more important than economic interests,” she added.

Until now, this Alpine country, where approximately one in four people is a smoker, had very permissive legislation in the field of tobacco advertising, especially thanks to the strong lobbying by the world’s largest tobacco companies, which have their headquarters there.

On a national scale, until now only radio and television advertisements and specific ones directed at minors were prohibited.

And, despite the fact that some cantons had already tightened their regulations and a new law in this regard will come into force in 2023, anti-smoking groups called for more decisive measures to protect children and young people, which is why they launched this popular initiative.

Infantilize adults?

Thus, the total ban on tobacco advertising is foreseen in places to which children and adolescents have access, that is, in the press, on posters, the Internet, the cinema and during demonstrations. These same rules apply to the electronic cigarette.

“This means that practically all advertising was prohibited, even for adults. In the name of protecting children, adults are infantilized,” complained Patrick Eperon, spokesman for the “No” campaign and member of the Employer Center organization.

The same argument of Philip Morris International (PMI), a global giant in the sector, which, like British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco, has its headquarters in Switzerland.

The country pays a high price for smoking, with 9,500 annual deaths linked to a population of 8.6 million inhabitants. Added to this are some 400,000 people with chronic diseases linked to smoking, according to Dr. Jean-Paul Humair, spokesman for the “Yes”.

Cause animal rejected again

Also according to the first results, on the other hand, the Swiss refused to ban laboratory tests with animals and humans, with almost 80% of the wills.

In addition, those registered in the canton of Basel-city, highly reputed for its zoo, as well as for its pharmaceutical groups, with 75% would reject a proposal aimed at providing fundamental rights to non-human primates.

Three similar initiatives have already been rejected, in 1985 (70%), 1992 (56%) and 1993 (72%).

No party supported it since, according to the government, if approved it would have had serious economic and health consequences, in the confederation whose chemical-pharmaceutical sector represents more than half of its exports.

However, they claim that Swiss legislation is among the strictest in the world when it comes to animal testing.

At the federal level, according to the first results, the Swiss population would reject by more than 56% a law that provides additional support for the media, as a result of the drop in their income from advertising.