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.
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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.
October 04, 2018 by swissinfo.ch
Vaping giant JUUL to set up in Switzerland
The American company JUUL, which specializes in the manufacture of electronic cigarettes that look like thumb drives, is preparing to set up in the Swiss city of Zug, according to the Zefix trade register. Juul Labs Switzerland is listed on the commercial register external link as a producer, distributor or exporter for the retail and wholesale trade of electronic cigarettes and accessories.
October 02, 2018 by japantimes.co.jp
Battle for lungs and minds as tobacco control treaty meeting opens
Two dramatically different views on the best way forward in reining in smoking were on display, with organizers and activists maintaining the tobacco companies had nothing to offer, and the industry insisting its new products are key to halting a smoking epidemic that causes some 7 million deaths each year.
“This is not a time to be complacent,” Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, who heads the secretariat of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), said as delegates from 137 countries gathered to discuss the treaty.
September 28, 2018 by swissinfo.ch
Switzerland criticised for tobacco control treaty stance
The fact that Switzerland has yet to have ratified the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and is hosting its conference is shameful, a top WHO official has declared.
“I think this is more of a shame than a problem that Switzerland is not party to the treaty, as this is all about protecting the public health of the population,” the head of the FCTC Secretariat, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva [...]
September 20, 2018 by swissinfo.ch
E-cigarette industry agrees to voluntary sales ban for minors
Swiss producers of electronic cigarettes, and several retail outlets that sell such products, have agreed to a voluntary ban on the sale to minors until a Swiss law change comes into effect.
The code of conduct from the consortium of tobacco manufacturers and large retailers will come into force on October 1. Some 38 companies have previously signed up to an earlier charter from the Swiss Vape Trade Association, which also seeks to protect minors from such products.