A bill banning tobacco advertising in public places visible to young people was passed in a referendum in Switzerland on the 13th.
The move brings Switzerland in line with its European neighbors, which have already adopted stricter rules on tobacco advertising.
Switzerland has an image as a healthy and environmentally friendly country, but it has very lax tobacco regulations in Europe.
Smoking in bars and restaurants has long been banned in the UK, France and Germany, but there are no regulations in place in Switzerland.
If you go to a supermarket, you can easily get samples of the latest cigarettes.
Distribution of free cigarette samples was banned several years ago, but cigarette advertising remained.
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A man in his 60s was horrified to see a photo of his severed leg on a European cigarette pack.
Social Democratic Party lawmaker Flavia Bassepolen welcomed the vote results, paying tribute to the Association of Doctors and Teachers who campaigned to ban tobacco advertising.
“People worked really hard for this youth-centric policy,” he told Swiss TV.
Why are you late?
The World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the historic Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva about 20 years ago.
Switzerland signed the bill, but was the only country in Europe that had not ratified it until this vote.
Compared to other European countries, Swiss cigarette prices are cheap. 27% of Swiss adults smoke, which is higher than the European average.
Bills to introduce stricter regulations have been rejected several times in the Swiss parliament.
Even after activists gathered enough signatures for a referendum on tobacco control, the Swiss government continued to rally opposition.
In the background, criticism has been raised that there is lobbying by large tobacco companies headquartered in Switzerland, such as Philip Morris, BAT, and JTI.
The tobacco industry is estimated to generate $6 billion (approximately 7.1982 trillion won) and 11,000 jobs annually in the Swiss economy.
business impact
Days before the vote, it emerged that tobacco companies had been funding the opposition movement.
Opponents of the bill to ban tobacco advertising argued that a ban on advertising of legal products was unacceptable and would set the stage for further restrictions on other products such as sugar and alcohol that are considered harmful to health.
A poster appeared on cakes and sausages, the Swiss people's favorite foods, with the words 'These are next' written on them.
But it failed to change the minds of voters. In Switzerland, there are 9,000 deaths from tobacco diseases every year, and the cost of treating related diseases is putting a burden on the medical system.
It also increases the cost of health insurance premiums that everyone, whether smokers or non-smokers, must pay.
A preliminary opinion poll showed that more than 60% would vote in favor of a ban on tobacco advertising.
As a result of the actual vote, 56% of votes were in favor, which was lower than the opinion poll figure, but more than the number of votes against.
"People know that health is more important than economic benefits," Stephanie de Borba of the Swiss Cancer Federation told AFP.
Meanwhile, the ban on animal testing, tax reductions related to corporate financing, and increased financial support for media companies, all of which were also submitted to referendum, were rejected.
The animal testing ban was deemed too restrictive for Switzerland's world-class medical research and development.
Many voters also believed that financial subsidies to media companies would line the pockets of media moguls, and that abolishing corporate stamp duty would make already rich people richer.
These are complex subjects for voters to decide on, but this is how Switzerland's direct democracy system works.
For difficult problems, government advice may be taken.
On the 13th, the Swiss government urged support for media subsidies, but this was not accepted. Voters also made choices contrary to the government's wishes regarding corporate stamp duty reduction and cigarette advertising ban.
Some point out that Swiss government ministers may be thinking too far away from voters.
A Swiss political commentator said on the 23rd, "Between economic freedom and health, the majority of voters chose the latter," and "Whether it is a ban on advertising, a ban on smoking, or an increase in cigarette prices, unlike politicians, the tobacco lobby no longer has a presence among the people." “It no longer works.”