On 15 May 2021, an amendment to the Narcotics Act permitting pilot trials involving the controlled dispensing of cannabis for recreational purposes will come into force. The trials will provide a scientific basis for the future regulation of cannabis.
Smoking in Switzerland
The overall smoking prevalence in Switzerland has been decreasing since 2000. 25.1% of the adult population in Switzerland are current smokers, down from 30% in 2000. This means there are now approximately 1.8 million smokers in the country. 27.8% of men smoke and for women the figure is 22.5%. The most recent data show there were 8,559 annual deaths from tobacco-smoking related diseases (approximately 3,000 women and 5,500 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 13.88% (women: 8.8%; and men: 16.7%). Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Switzerland. There is a requirement to ensure vape packaging contains a health warning, they can be purchased without a prescription and there are legal restrictions on their use in public places. Heated tobacco products are allowed and can be marketed. Snus is also allowed and can be imported for personal use. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can be marketed and it is available to buy in pharmacies without a prescription. The NRT market in Switzerland is worth €14.8 million. For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.
Read articles from Switzerland
February 13, 2024 by swissinfo.ch
Alliance for tobacco advertising ban demands implementation
The Alliance for tobacco advertising ban is concerned about the implementation of a ban on tobacco advertising in Switzerland, which was approved by voters two years ago. They claim that parliament's proposed legislation violates the constitution by allowing exceptions, such as for the sponsorship of music festivals. The organization behind the initiative is putting pressure on parliament to ensure that the ban is implemented as originally intended. They argue that any advertising aimed at young people that could tempt them to consume tobacco should be banned.
March 27, 2023 by swissinfo.ch
Experts warn of rising nicotine consumption among Swiss teenagers
Addiction Switzerland said a survey conducted last year showed one in three 15-year-olds used tobacco or other nicotine products within the previous month.
The strongest increase was recorded last year for e-cigarettes, particularly among girls, compared to a poll carried out in 2018, the organisation said on Monday.
About 8% of the girls surveyed regularly smoked e-cigarettes, while 6% said they smoked conventional cigarettes; the percentage among boys for both categories was 7%.
February 13, 2022 by swissinfo.ch
Swiss back further restrictions on tobacco advertising
Voters have agreed to limit advertising for tobacco products that may be seen by young people in Switzerland.
On Sunday 56.6% of voters supported the “Yes to the protection of children against tobacco advertising” people’s initiative. A majority of the country’s 26 cantons also backed the proposal, allowing it to pass.
People living in French- and Italian-speaking cantons and urban areas supported the call for tighter advertising restrictions. A number of German-speaking cantons from central and eastern Switzerland were against the initiative.
February 09, 2022 by snusforumet.se
Meet Lukas Reimann, the MP and ex-smoker who helped legalise snus in Switzerland
Swiss MP Lukas Reimann explains how a chance encounter with Swedish snus helped him kick a 20-year smoking habit, legalise snus in Switzerland, and become an outspoken ambassador for smokeless nicotine products. [...] In the decade since he transitioned from cigarettes to snus, Reimann has tried to introduce snus to other friends struggling to quit cigarettes.
“They’ve tried medicine, therapies, even hypnosis. And nothing helped. And then I gave them this small can and they’ve told me, ‘I’ve stopped smoking! Thank you so much!’” he explains.
The committed libertarian believes smokers don’t want to be seen as “sick patients”. [...]
January 17, 2022 by swissinfo.ch
Clamping down on tobacco advertising
Swiss voters will decide on February 13 on a wide ban on tobacco advertising, aimed at protecting young people. Switzerland, home to the world’s largest cigarette companies, has some of the weakest laws against tobacco advertising in Europe. In Switzerland about a quarter of the population are smokers, including around 100,000 aged 15 to 19. The people's initiative, launched in 2018, calls for a ban on “any form of advertising [of tobacco products] that reaches children and young people”. Only tobacco advertising directly targeting adults would be allowed. The initiative also seeks to outlaw sponsoring by tobacco firms.
December 23, 2021 by lenews.ch
Switzerland set to tax e-cigarettes
On 17 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council put forward a plan to tax the liquids used for e-cigarettes, reported RTS. The Federal Council is proposing a tax similar to the tax on tobacco but at a lower rate in line with e-cigarettes’ lower toxicity. The government does not want to discourage tobacco smokers from transitioning to e-cigarettes and proposes a rate 77% lower than the tax on tobacco cigarettes. The aim is to discourage young people from developing an unhealthy e-cigarette habit, said the government.
September 24, 2021 by swissinfo.ch
Parliament rejects blanket ban on tobacco ads
The long-running debate was heated until the end, with the political left trying in vain to push through a more restrictive approach to tobacco products.
Poster advertising of tobacco products and e-cigarettes that can be seen from public places, as well as advertising in cinemas, on public transport, in buildings and on sports fields, will be banned. [...] However, the House of Representatives on Wednesday agreed with the Senate and rejected a ban on menthol cigarettes. [...]
April 20, 2021 by admin.ch
Pilot trials with cannabis
On 25 September 2020, Parliament passed an amendment to the Federal Act on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NarcA). With its new article 8a NarcA the revised act provides a legal basis for conducting scientific pilot trials with cannabis that are limited in terms of both time and place.
March 03, 2021 by prnewswire.co.uk
Cannadips CBD pouches now available in 59 COOP retail stores and online in Switzerland
Cannadips CBD, an award-winning brand and a pioneer of the pouches format in the CBD hemp sector, was first introduced to Europe in Q3 2019 and has since been activated in 15 European markets, including Switzerland. "This latest addition of COOP retail stores in Switzerland is truly a fantastic opportunity for the Cannadips brand in one of our most strategic markets where Cannadips was already available at 107 Valora kkiosk stores and approximately 150 independent retail and wholesale providers," says SpectrumLeaf CEO Felix Sundstrom.
October 04, 2018 by swissinfo.ch
Switzerland: the land of the tobacco industry
Although Switzerland – home to the three biggest tobacco firms – has not yet ratified the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTCexternal link), the city of Geneva is hosting an important meeting this week on the treaty. In his first speech to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council last February, Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis insisted on the importance of civil and political rights, highlighting economic freedom and the guarantee of private property for securing stability and peace.
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