Switzerland approves tougher restrictions on tobacco advertising

The Swiss have voted to ban almost all advertising of tobacco products, tightening their notoriously lax laws on the hazardous products.

Nearly 57 percent of voters and 16 of Switzerland's 26 cantons backed the near-total tobacco advertising ban, final results showed on Sunday.

"We are extremely happy. The people understood that health is more important than economic interests," Stefanie De Borba of the Swiss League against Cancer said.

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset meanwhile stressed to journalists that it could take time for the near-ban to take effect, saying "it really does not seem possible that it could take effect this year."

The new tobacco advertising restrictions could conceivably be added to a new tobacco law already due to take effect next year, and which for the first time will set a nationwide minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products.

Currently, most tobacco advertising remains legal at a national level, except on television and radio, or ads that specifically target minors.

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Lagging behind

Switzerland lagged far behind most wealthy nations in restricting tobacco advertising - a situation widely blamed on hefty lobbying by some of the world's biggest tobacco companies headquartered in the country.

Campaigners claim lax advertising laws have stymied efforts to bring down smoking rates in the Alpine nation of 8.6 million people, where more than a quarter of adults consume tobacco products. There are around 9,500 tobacco-linked deaths each year.

The tobacco industry contributes around $6.5 billion (6 billion Swiss francs, 5.7 billion euros) to the economy annually - one percent of Switzerland's gross domestic product - and accounts for some 11,500 jobs.

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Animal testing

On Sunday, Switzerland also voted on banning all animal and human testing, which was opposed by all political parties, parliament and the government, warning of adverse consequences for medical research.

The proposal by animal rights activists, which would have made Switzerland the first country to ban medical and scientific experiments on animals, was rejected.

Only 21 percent of voters were in favour of the animal experiment ban, with 79 percent against, according to government figures, in the nationwide referendum.

Swiss authorities insist the country already has among the world's strictest laws regulating animal testing.

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