Linking science with tobacco laws

In November 2018, the Swiss Federal Council sent a draft for a new Law on Tobacco Products to be discussed in Parliament. However, many elements were insufficient to fight tobacco consumption and to lower smoking prevalence. In particular, the protection of the youth from tobacco advertisement was very weak. The SSPH+ decided to act in order to advocate for science-based changes in the law currently drafted under major influence from the tobacco industry.

SSPH+ coordinated advocacy efforts with many other actors and worked actively for a revised text that would, at least, make it possible for Switzerland to ratify the WHO-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as one of few remaining countries yet to do so. In September 2019, the upper chamber of the Parliament approved such changes. Discussions will continue in the lower chamber in 2020.

SSPH+ will continue to work and advocate for additional improvements in the law. In summer 2019, the message spread that the Swiss Government considered Philip Morris as a main sponsor for the Swiss Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. SSPH+ successfully intervened with a public letter and an editorial in our IJPH.