Protest withdrawal of the Cancer League

SWA The Association of Swiss Advertisers (SWA) gained seven new members in the past year - one member, the Swiss Cancer League, resigned, saying that it saw a conflict of interest in the SWA's fight against advertising bans, writes SWA President Gérard Stalder, adding: "I regret this, but I can understand the step due to the special situation of the institution." Bruno Meili, Managing Director of the Cancer League, confirms the resignation. "It's hair-raising how the tobacco industry is able to instrumentalize the entire advertising industry to achieve its goals," he says. The Cancer League, which is trying to stop people from smoking with modest means, therefore had no other option but to withdraw in protest. Meili would have expected the SWA to take a neutral stance on the issue of advertising bans. "The efforts to ban tobacco advertising, for example, are not just an idea, but are in line with the global policy of the World Health Organization (WHO)," says Meili.
(mk)