Doctors and politicians want to ban tobacco advertising from public spaces

The medical association FHM has described the government's elaboration of the existing ban on tobacco advertising as "courageous and largely ineffective". Already today, advertising for tobacco products is prohibited in places where mainly young people spend time. The ban is now to be extended to free newspapers and the Internet, provided that these are not websites for which a fee is charged or which are reserved for adults. The Federal Council also wants to prohibit tobacco products from being advertised at points of sale in the immediate vicinity of sweets.

Gapless law demanded

The Working Group on Tobacco Prevention clearly rejects the amendments, as the Luzerner Zeitung wrote on Saturday. Because even with the new law, children and adolescents would be "exposed to the full force of tobacco marketing," according to a statement from various tobacco-critical organizations. Instead, a complete ban is demanded, which also includes poster and cinema advertising.

Together with doctors, SP Council of States member Hans Stöckli is therefore launching the popular initiative "Yes to the protection of children and young people from tobacco advertising" on Tuesday. This initiative goes a decisive step further than the proposals of the Federal Council: Cigarettes should no longer be advertised in places where minors can be present. Tobacco advertising would therefore only be possible in clubs or other places where minors are not allowed to enter.

The popular initiative, Stöckli told 20 Minuten, is necessary because there is no majority in parliament "for effective measures" - although it is known that advertising bans are useful. He points to cantons that already have bans on billboard advertising for tobacco products - Solothurn and Valais. There, the smoking rate is 20 percent lower.

According to Wolfgang Kweitel of the Working Group on Tobacco Prevention, the popular initiative could have a good chance of realistically achieving the 100,000 signatures still targeted for 2018. 58 percent of the population is in favor of a general ban on advertising and, in contrast to parliament, wants stricter rules.

"Amazing understanding of democracy"

There may be little enthusiasm for the popular initiative among the ranks of the tobacco industry, however. Kevin Suter, spokesman for Japan Tobacco (including Camel, Winston, American Spirit), told the Luzerner Zeitung that advertising bans on a legally available product would restrict the economic freedom of manufacturers and retailers without any benefit to public health. And adds France as an example: The country has had a tobacco advertising ban for years, yet the proportion of smokers is higher there. Suter goes on to criticize the tobacco opponents for displaying an "astonishing understanding of democracy" in launching the initiative by submitting their demands by popular initiative during an ongoing parliamentary process. The Tobacco Products Act drafted by the Federal Council offers an opportunity for clarification. (hae)