Through several bills restricting tobacco advertising, the lower house of the Swiss Parliament has approved new rules banning tobacco advertising in print media and venues accessible to minors.
Key points:
- The Swiss Parliament has passed a partial restriction on tobacco advertising and published details of its implementation.
- Tobacco advertising will be completely banned in places accessible to minors.
According to Swissinfo on March 4, the Swiss Parliament passed a bill on Monday (3) that partially restricts tobacco advertising. The House of Representatives approved new rules on advertising restrictions while relaxing some provisions.
In 2022, 56.6 percent of voters supported the “Children and Young People without Tobacco Ads” initiative, which calls for a ban on tobacco advertising for all minors. The Swiss national amendments to the law include specific textual amendments and adjustments to advertising and sponsorship of print media and youth open events.
On the 3rd, the House of Representatives approved some of the relaxation measures and other provisions decided by the Senate. The ads will be banned from print media unless they are published in internal chapters of newspapers that are primarily sold through subscriptions and are read by at least 98 percent of adults.
Tobacco advertising will be completely banned in areas accessible to minors. However the House of Representatives, following Senate precedent, decided that tobacco advertising can still be allowed if the ads are not visible or accessible to minors.
The left favors a stricter version of government. Leonore Porchet of the Green Party noted that “Switzerland is the only European country that has not banned tobacco advertising in newspapers,” but that did not stop the decision from being passed.
