May 31 is the traditional World No Tobacco Day. This is the opportunity for Addiction Suisse to denounce in a virulent press release the little progress made in Switzerland in the fight against tobacco, particularly among young people. And this despite the Swiss population voting in favor of the “Tobacco-free children” initiative in 2022.
The organization notes that Switzerland “occupies the penultimate place in the European ranking with regard to tobacco policy and even the last with regard to the protection of children and young people against tobacco marketing”.
Certainly, the Swiss people voted in favor of the initiative to protect young people from tobacco advertising in February 2022 by 56.6% of the votes. But Addiction Suisse notes that the Federal Chambers are trying to circumvent the spirit of the initiative in its implementation, in particular with advertising in newspapers or the sale of cigarettes at festivals.
For Addiction Suisse: “The tobacco industry’s sole objective is to maximize its profits and is opposed to any limitation that would prevent it from recruiting young customers. In fact, almost no one starts using nicotine after the age of 21.
For the umbrella organization, this situation is due to the fact that “three of the largest tobacco multinationals are firmly established in Switzerland, or even have their head office there, and invest considerable resources in lobbying in Parliament and in the administration”.
According to his observations, some 30 members of Parliament have indirect links with the tobacco industry and a few have direct links, notably through the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts or the umbrella organization Economiesuisse. She notes that the PLR and the UDC each received 35,000 francs from the tobacco industry for their electoral campaign in 2023, enough to create a certain dependence.
The director of the Addiction Switzerland foundation, Tania Severin, demands more rigor and transparency in this area: “We must reduce the interference of the tobacco industry in health policy by excluding it from consultations, like this has been done for a long time in most other countries.
Addiction Switzerland slaps its fist: “Meetings of members of the authorities with this industry must be prohibited or, at least, documented for the population. Donations to parties and political figures are no longer acceptable, nor are collaborations between universities and the tobacco industry.
