Both camps are not really happy with the decision of the SGK-SR
The Alliance for a Strong Tobacco Products Act describes the decision by the Council of States Health Commission (SGK-SR) to correct its «anti-prevention stance» as a «ray of hope»—though one that does not go far enough. KS/CS Communication Switzerland, on the other hand, says it is «very taken aback.».
The health committee of the Council of States unanimously proposes to additionally ban tobacco advertisements in newspapers and magazines as well as advertising on the Internet, as it announced on Tuesday (Werbewoche.ch reported).
The bill supported by the Commission still does not meet the requirements of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the alliance criticized in a statement Tuesday. The proposed solution is not sufficient to effectively protect children and adolescents from tobacco advertising. This would require more than just partial restrictions, it is convinced: "Only a comprehensive ban on advertising, sponsorship and sales promotion can protect minors from the perfidious lures of the tobacco industry."
The Alliance for a Strong Tobacco Products Act will work to ensure that the Council of States closes the remaining loopholes in the draft law in September, or at least reduces them by adopting the minority motion of Council of States member Stöckli. Said motion is intended to "at least achieve the minimum requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control."
The umbrella organization KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz is not very pleased with the decision of the parliamentary committee. In a statement, it said it was "very disconcerted" by the decision to support additional advertising restrictions, even though it was clearly in favor of stricter protection of minors in the Tobacco Products Act. Advertising would be made the scapegoat by the commission.
KS/CS had lobbied in particular for the deletion of two articles of the second draft: On the one hand, cantons should not enact stricter regulations than the Confederation (Article 20), as this would contradict "all constitutional ideas of legal certainty, legal uniformity and equal treatment". On the other hand, the tightening of warnings (Article 19) was objected to. These are already regulated in detail in the self-regulation of the tobacco industry with the Swiss Commission for Fair Trading and are enforced so strongly that in many places the view prevails that the warnings are prescribed by law.
The association relies on self-regulation. Advertising bans would not solve any social problems; the number of smokers among children and young people has been falling continuously since 2010 even without them. Even Pro Juventute is of the opinion that education and information in schools are much more important. Total advertising bans are also unconstitutional, he said, and are a direct attack on the free market economy as well as civil rights. The fact that "the healing power of advertising bans is a utopia" is shown by the case of France, where a ban on tobacco advertising has been in place for years, yet the country has higher rates of smoking than Switzerland. (hae)
