Tobacco prevention calls for ratification of the tobacco convention
Published: Monday, Jun 24th 2024, 10:20
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The Swiss Working Group on Tobacco Prevention has called on Parliament to ratify the WHO Tobacco Convention, which was signed 20 years ago, by October 1. Parliament has still refused to bring the convention into force.
The tobacco industry benefits greatly from the fact that Switzerland was one of the last countries not to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and also from lax laws, the working group criticized in a press release on Monday.
Switzerland is the stomping ground and retreat of two of the three multinational tobacco companies. Ratification is urgently needed to finally better protect people's health, especially that of young people, from the tobacco industry.
The convention was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003 and came into force in 2005. Switzerland signed the Convention on June 25, 2004, 20 years ago. In doing so, the Federal Council expressed Switzerland's willingness to implement the obligations of the Convention in Switzerland. However, Parliament has refused to ratify the Convention to this day.
Among other things, the convention includes a comprehensive ban on advertising and sponsorship for tobacco products, smoking bans in the workplace and in enclosed spaces. It also includes price and tax measures, comprehensive and extensive warnings on all tobacco products and the fight against the illegal trade in tobacco products.
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