News - AT Schweiz

AT Blog - Nepal's Struggle Against Tobacco's Stranglehold on Health and Economy

The escalating impact of tobacco on the lives and health of the Nepalese is alarming.

from Anjana Lamichhane

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The authorities' inexplicable and culpable negligence regarding the millions of illegal disposable electronic cigarettes now on the Swiss market

The Confederation is not enforcing the law.

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Women and smoking: the cursed alliance

While the number of male smokers is falling, the number of female smokers continues to rise. However, their health is more severely affected and they find it more difficult to give up cigarettes than their male peers.

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World Health Organization Issues Urgent Call to Regulate E-Cigarettes Amid Rising Youth Addiction

In a decisive move, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent call to action, urging governments worldwide to implement stringent measures to regulate e-cigarettes and curb their growing appeal among young people.

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AT Research - Benzopyrene, smoke and money. The perfect Philip Morris recipe for toxic scientific research

In 2023, a concerning case reminiscent of classic tactics employed by the tobacco industry has come to light, exposing Philip Morris International's (PMI) continued influence on scientific research.

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Switzerland's Youth in the Crosshairs of Big Tobacco's Social Media Onslaught

An innovative report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has highlighted aggressive social media marketing tactics employed by tobacco giants like Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco, also significantly impacting Swiss youth.

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AT Blog - EHL is committed to smoke-free spaces

EHL Hospitality Business School, founded in 1893, has set itself the goal of transforming its campus into a smoke-free zone.

from Mélanie Chibani

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How the tobacco industry exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to increase its profits

New report exposes how the tobacco industry exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to increase its profits at the detriment of public health.

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ELFBAR: hypocrisy and double standards in vaping flavours

Following criticism of its flavours that appeal especially to children, ELFBAR, a popular brand of disposable e-cigarettes, intends to abandon sweet flavours in the UK in the future. In Switzerland, however, the sale of such products continues briskly, which clearly shows the industry’s shameless double standards.

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SDG 14 - Preserving aquatic life

Smoking has a direct impact on the health of waterways and seas, as well as that of aquatic life. Find out more in our latest article.

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AT Blog - Belgium is adopting 10 bold tobacco control measures

Presented by the Belgian Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in October 2023, after having been approved by the Council of Ministers, this set of new regulations marks an important step in putting an end to tobacco.

from Pierre Bizel & Danielle van Kalmthout

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Tabakindustrie-Lobby-Index: Die Schweiz fällt weiter zurück

In the latest Global Tobacco Interference Index 2023, Switzerland comes in second-last place once again (89/90), only just ahead of the Dominican Republic. Due to the larger number of countries included in the index, Switzerland has dropped another 10 places. This illustrates once again that the tobacco industry's influence on politics in Switzerland remains undiminished and continues to prevent effective tobacco control that protects people from tobacco's deadly products.

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AT Studies: Tobacco and nicotine-free universities

Recommendations for measures to promote nicotine- and tobacco-free universities in Switzerland.

from Bastiaan Steiner.

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The 2023 federal election and Philip Morris money

For the first time in Switzerland, a veil has been lifted a little on the money that the political parties receive and the influence that results from it.

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A Risky Business: German Cancer Research Center and American Heart Association warn about the health impact of e-cigarettes

A recent report from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) entitled "Risks of E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products" strongly advises against the use of E-Zigarettes for health reasons and sheds light on the potential dangers of using these products.

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Only one country in Europe doing enough to stop people smoking, Switzerland Falls Short according to WHO report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released the 9th Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, revealing that 5.6 billion people, or 71% of the world's population, are now covered by at least one policy to protect them from the dangers of tobacco. This represents a fivefold increase since 2007.

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AT Blog - E-cigarettes 95% less dangerous? Myth, scientific lies, and manipulations

A tenacious myth maintains that electronic cigarettes (ENDS) are 95% less dangerous than traditional cigarettes.

from Luciano Ruggia

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AT Blog - Is PMI Really Creating a ‘Smoke-Free Future’?

To recast itself as a public health hero, PMI tirelessly touts its lineup of “smoke-free” products.

from STOP

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Flavour ban effective in reducing e-cigarette consumption among young people

According to a study recently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, a total ban on flavours (or limiting them to two "standard" flavours, mint and tobacco) could encourage teens and young adults who smoke electronic cigarettes to stop using them. A ban on flavours, including mint, would significantly reinforce this decline. Unfortunately the Council of States in Switzerland recently rejected such a ban.

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France Considers Banning Disposable E-Cigarettes Amidst Rising Concerns Over Teen Smoking

France is weighing a potential ban on disposable electronic cigarettes, popularly known also as 'Puff Bars,' amidst growing concerns over their increasing popularity among teenagers.

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Tobacco use costs Switzerland more than CHF 6 billion a year

The economic costs generated each year by tobacco consumption in Switzerland run into billions. In addition to the direct health costs associated with smoking, which total around CHF 3 billion, the indirect costs to the economy due to lost productivity amount to a further CHF 3.1 billion. In our new compilation " The Economic Costs of Smoking ", you can find out more about the economic damage caused by smoking in Switzerland and around the world.

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Disposable electronic cigarettes do not comply with standards currently in force

A large number of disposable electronic cigarettes are marketed in flagrant violation of the law. A large proportion of these products, probably around half, contain reservoirs of e-liquid that exceed the legal limit of 2 milliliters in volume. The competent authorities in Switzerland do not seem to be controlling these before or after they are placed on the market.

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AT Switzerland Ignites Conversation on Tobacco Prevention at Bern's Annual Women's Run

AT Switzerland, the leading advocate for tobacco prevention in Switzerland, scored a great hit at this year's Annual Women's Run in Bern.

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New Research Sheds Light on the Health Effects of Heated Tobacco Products

A recent study from the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, has made significant strides in understanding the acute health effects of using heated tobacco products (HTPs). Although HTPs have been around since 1988, they've recently gained popularity, changing the landscape of tobacco use globally.

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In Canada, every puff of smoke will serve as a warning

By 2024, Canada will be the first country in the world to mandate that every cigarette sold in the country carry a health warning on the white paper surrounding the filter. The Canadian government hopes this will advance its objective of achieving a smoking rate of less than 5% by 2035 in this, the second largest country in the world.

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AT -Blog Don’t trust the ELF!

In Norse mythology, an Elf is a rather friendly supernatural creature, also present in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. But a much more real and dangerous ELF is circulating among us! Of all the disposable electronic cigarettes that invade our schools and whose marketing specifically targets adolescents, one brand is particularly worrisome: the ELFBAR brand. The market for disposables is changing very quickly and new brands and models are constantly coming onto the market. ELFBAR dominates the Swiss market today, and seems to have dethroned the initial Puff Bar brand. But is an ELFBAR better than other disposables? This by far doesn’t seem to be the case and we will try to gather the most recent information on these products here.

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Belgium: Superior Health Council recommends ban on cigarette filters

Report: The impact of cigarette filters on public health and the Belgian environment

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Smokeless tobacco and cigarettes confer similar adverse vascular health risks

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine investigated the incidence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) among users of smokeless tobacco products. The findings show that the use of chewing tobacco and snuff is associated with a two-fold increase in the risk for PAD.

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2023 Swiss Women’s Run Bern: AT Switzerland offers free starts!

We are very pleased that AT Switzerland has been chosen as a charity partner for this year's Swiss Women's Run, which will take place on 11 June 2023 in Bern! We invite all members to participate and offer a limited number of free starts.

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A tsunami of nicotine is flooding our schools

One out of every three 15-year-olds had used at least one tobacco or nicotine product in the 30 days preceding the survey, most often in the form of electronic cigarettes. Mandated by the Federal Office of Public Heath, Addiction Suisse conducted an HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) study last year using a representative sample of 11- to 15-year-olds nationwide.

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Tobacco industry uses six pricing strategies to undermine life-saving tobacco taxes

New STOP report provides a compelling overview summary of the six tobacco industry pricing strategies that undermine life-saving tobacco taxes.

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AT Blog - Preventing tobacco use in children and adolescents

The primary prevention of tobacco use among children and adolescents is both the cornerstone and the “Achilles heel” of tobacco control policy. For the tobacco industry, this age group is the territory where it can "effortlessly" hunt for new prey. Multinational tobacco companies are thus compensating for a decline in activity due to tobacco-related deaths (8 million per year worldwide) or people who have stopped smoking.

from Vincenzo Zagà

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Puff Bars: Delphi fast-track developed by Unisanté

Experts state that disposable electronic cigarettes, often referred to as “puff bars”, should be banned. If a ban is not possible, certain aspects should be strictly regulated: taxation, product composition and marketing, restrictions on sale and consumption. These regulations should go further than the current EU directive and the future Swiss law. The findings will be useful to support and guide policy-making from a public health and environmental perspective.

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2023 Swiss Women’s Run Bern: AT Switzerland chosen as charity partner

We are very pleased that AT Switzerland has been chosen as a charity partner for this year's Swiss Women's Run, which will take place on 11 June 2023 in Bern! We look forward to working with the Women's Run team to make a positive contribution. Let's come together to get things moving and join the race!

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AT Blog - Electronic Cigarettes and Cardiovascular Risk

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes have become popular because they are promoted as a "healthier alternative" to smoking. This hypothesis was recently refuted by the FDA.

from Isabella Sudano

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SDG 16 - Strong institutions for a just and inclusive society

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 16 aims to promote peaceful, inclusive, and just societies, underpinned by effective and accountable institutions. However, by acting to defend its interests, the tobacco industry jeopardises the achievement of these objectives.

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Sign now: for a tobacco-free environment and Europe's first tobacco-free generation

A recently launched European Citizens' Initiative aims to create a tobacco-free environment and Europe’s first tobacco-free generation by 2030. To do this, one million signatures must be collected between 16 January 2023 and 16 January 2024. AT Suisse supports the goal of this project and calls on EU citizens living in Switzerland to sign it.

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French-speaking cantons ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors

The canton of Jura recently introduced this measure and the Vaud government has come out in favour of banning the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes, known as "puff bars", to minors. Such a provision already exists in many other French-speaking cantons. At the national level, we still have to wait for the new Tobacco Products Act (TPA) to enter into force, unfortunately!

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New Zealand again at the forefront of tobacco control, Switzerland remains far behind

New Zealand last December passed into law a unique plan to phase out tobacco smoking and reach a smoke-free generation.

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AT Blog - “Nicotine pouches save lives”: Just more data manipulation from the nicotine industry

The nicotine and tobacco industries are adapting manipulative tactics that they used for cigarettes to market their nicotine pouch products. In this article we propose to show how the argument of harm reduction is used in a context that can only serve tobacco industry interests and that goes against public health.

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International scientific conference on e-cigarettes

From the 5-6 December 2022, the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) organised an international scientific conference on e-cigarettes

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SDG 15 - Protect life on land

The fifteenth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations is devoted to the protection and restauration of land habitats. This involves sustainable forest management, as well as measures to combat desertification, soil depletion, and the loss of biodiversity. But tobacco farms are particularly harmful to land ecosystems.

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The Netherlands: Public Smoke-free Environments

In the Netherlands, there has been significant increase of smoke-free environments, mostly at schoolyards, playgrounds, sports facilities, bus stops and municipal institutions. In the municipalities of Utrecht and Nieuwegein for example, 831 bus stops are now smoke-free.

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China bans fruity e-cigarettes – but not their export to countries around the world

China has banned the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes. The new rules mean e-cigarettes that have flavourings other than tobacco – such as fruity or menthol flavourings – cannot be sold on the domestic market.

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AT Blog - Tobacco Industry Attempts at Interference and Marketing Tricks in Bosnia & Herzegovina

The tobacco industry doesn't typically come to mind as an environmental steward, but the tobacco industry has historically greenwashed its reputation and products through programs on the global level.

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New Brief: ENDS

ENDS are highly heterogeneous products that consist of a mouthpiece, a tank or a cartridge for e-liquid, a battery, and an atomizer, which affects the performance, the inhalation of aerosol, as well as nicotine delivery. In consideration of their easily accessible and easy-to-use nature, ENDS are raising public health concerns, as youth consumption rates are increasing.

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Recent studies reveal gateway interactions between cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis use

Recent studies demonstrate that the consumption of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis are interrelated. In consideration of the developments towards cannabis legalisation in Switzerland, this calls for a well-developed policy environment for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis.

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SDG 13 - Combat Climate Change

The 13th Sustainable Development Objective of the United Nations calls for taking urgent measures to combat climate change. However, the tobacco industry represents a major source of greenhouse gases and pollution.

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New study underlines high popularity of flavours and colours of disposable ENDS among young people

A new study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health aiming to track teenagers’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours about using e-cigarettes found teenagers are readily accessing flavoured, disposable vaping products.

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SDG 12 - Responsible production and consumption

The twelfth Sustainable Development Objective of the United Nations aims to establish sustainable modes of consumption and production. However, the way the tobacco industry functions is in flagrant contradiction to these objectives.

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RTS and transparency win against Philip Morris Switzerland

RTS has respected the rules in conducting its interview with Philip Morris, whose complaint to the Swiss Press Council was rejected. RTS has won the case against the carcinogenic products retailer in the programme, "Mise au point", and can continue to do transparent and independent journalism.

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A bon entendeur - The 'puff': the new scourge of the schoolyard

Puff bars are the new electronic cigarettes that are all the rage among teenagers. Praised on social networks, these disposable devices have a dazzling success among the youth in French speaking Switzerland.

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Exposure to Thirdhand Smoke Chemicals Surpass Health Risk Guidelines

A new study led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that chemicals lingering in indoor spaces where smoking took place can put whole households at risk. Researchers found that the concentrations of toxic chemicals that linger indoors after cigarettes have been smoked can result in exposure that exceeds health guidelines established by the State of California.

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AT Blog - Explosion in the Consumption of Disposable Electronic Cigarettes

Since their arrival, disposable electronic cigarettes have been completely changing the nicotine consumption market and their sales are growing exponentially: the increase in sales could reach 2,200% in 2022! The consumption of these products by young people continues to spread massively in an invisible and dangerous way. Not only is our legal framework completely behind the times, but our public health policies are totally inadequate to deal with these very rapid developments.

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SDG 11 - Inclusive, safe, and durable cities

Cities must be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; this is the goal of the eleventh Sustainable Development Objective of the United Nations. However, smoking imperils the realisation of this goal on several fronts.

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Lung cancer risk is 10-fold higher in smokers who are not recommended for annual screening

A new study by Faselis et al. (2022), has highlighted the unmet need in lung cancer screening, as their research has shown that a 10-fold high lung cancer risk has been found among light and former heavy smokers for whom computer tomography (CT) scan screening is not recommended.[i]

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Book tip: “Quit Smoking – Weapons of Mass Distraction”

Who keeps telling smokers they can’t quit without help? For decades there have been far more ex-smokers than smokers, and an estimated 75% of smokers quit without drugs or professional help.

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New overview of tobacco monitoring in Switzerland

Data on prevalence, consumption patterns among young people, figures on exposure to passive smoking, or mortality – AT Switzerland is offering for the first time an overview of the available monitoring data on tobacco and nicotine consumption in Switzerland, located in the “Data & figures” section of our website.

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New Fact Sheet: Snus

Snus is a smokeless tobacco product that has gained popularity among youth. Snus produces a similar nicotine dependence to smoking and has no advantages over cigarettes or other electronic nicotine delivery products, due to the risk of inducing, maintaining, and reinforcing combustible cigarette consumption, as well as major risks to oral health.

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New Brief: Puff Bars

Flavoured Puff Bars are worsening the youth vaping epidemic and are currently flooding the Swiss market.

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Switzerland: Disposable e-cigarettes with illegal nicotine content

Puff bars: they are new, very strong in dosage, allow hidden consumption and are becoming increasingly popular among young people precisely for these reasons. AT Switzerland has now identified new products of these disposable electronic cigarettes whose nicotine content violates legal regulations and which can also be easily ordered via the Internet without age checks. This is a worrying trend. AT Switzerland is therefore sounding an alert to the federal authorities.

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SDG 8 - Decent work for all and sustainable economic growth

At the heart of the United Nations' eighth Sustainable Development Goal is the promotion of sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all. The tobacco industry employs about 100 million people worldwide; however, most of these jobs are not dream jobs.

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SDG 7 - Access to sustainable energy

The 7th UN Sustainable Development Goal calls for universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy services. The tobacco industry challenges the achievement of this goal in several ways.

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Tobacco remains rampant in the year’s most popular shows, movies, and music videos, fueling the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic

Truth Initiative’s recently published report looking at tobacco imagery in entertainment, “While You Were Streaming: Nicotine on Demand,” finds that as young people watched more video content than ever before in 2020, pervasive smoking and vaping imagery lit up their screens.

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SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Tobacco's influence extends to many sectors of society and threatens the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Read our latest post on how the production, consumption and disposal of tobacco and nicotine products threatens and pollutes our waters.

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The new MMS Bulletin: In the clutches of the tobacco companies

In cooperation with Medicus Mundi Switzerland (MMS), the leading network of international health cooperation and global health, AT Switzerland addresses in an online bulletin the crimes of the tobacco industry in the global South and why they endanger the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

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World Heart Federation calls for strict regulation of e-cigarettes

In a new policy brief, the World Heart Federation (WHF) is calling on governments to introduce stricter regulations on e-cigarettes and greater oversight of marketing and sales strategies to stop the e-cigarette epidemic.

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SDG 5 - Gender Equality

Tobacco's influence impacts many areas of society and threatens the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read our latest post on how tobacco threatens gender equality.

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Vaping: The real dollars behind fake consumer organisations

""Vaping: The real dollars behind fake consumer organisations" is a newly-published investigation by “Le Monde” and “The Investigative Desk” (Netherlands) that reveals the alliance between the tobacco lobby and the networks of American oil tycoons to prevent regulations on electronic cigarettes.

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Tobacco Industry Lobby Index: Switzerland ranks second to last worldwide

Switzerland comes in an inglorious 79th place (out of 80) in the new 2021 Tobacco Lobby Index, only just ahead of the Dominican Republic. Once again it becomes clear: the tobacco industry interferes massively in Swiss politics in order to be able to freely market and sell its deadly and harmful products.

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Tests of e-liquids and e-vapour yield questionable results

New analyses from Australia and the USA show that there are countless chemical components in e-liquids and e-vapour, some of which are of concern. They thus confirm older analyses and point to possible further problematic substances. They also make it clear that most of the existing chemical components have not yet been identified and their hazard potential is unknown.

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SDG 4 - Quality Education

The right to quality education is at the heart of the UN's fourth sustainable development goal. Yet tobacco use puts its achievement at risk. Read more in our new contribution to our series of articles!

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No ratification of the FCTC

Now it is clear: With the weak Tobacco Products Act, Switzerland will have the weakest rules for tobacco advertising in Europe. Ratification of the WHO Framework Convention (FCTC) is thus made impossible, as Federal Councillor Alain Berset emphasised.

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Ending Tobacco Farming Could Free Over 4 Million Hectares Across 120 Countries

Many forget that tobacco plays a crucial role in tackling climate change and the future of agriculture and food security. Currently, tobacco is grown in over 125 countries as a cash crop, over an estimated area of 4 million hectares.

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The Tobacco Products Act as a paper tiger

The Swiss Parliament will debate the Tobacco Products Act this week. In an interview with Le Temps, our director Luciano Ruggia explains how politicians play into the hands of the tobacco lobby and do not consider tobacco as a public health problem.

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SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide. Read more in our new contribution to our series of articles!

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Reading Recommendation

The Devil’s Playbook: Big Tobacco, Juul, and the Addiction of A New Generation

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FDA Denies Marketing Applications for About 55,000 Flavored E-Cigarette Products

On 26 August 2021, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) announced a ban on the sale of more than 55 000 flavoured electronic cigarette products because they pose a health risk to young people. In Switzerland, all of these products are freely available without any control regarding their chemical content, without any government restriction on sales to minors and without any taxation.

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“New" Tobacco Products: Developments and Consequences

In a new article in the Schweizerische Ärztezeitung (SÄZ), Luciano Ruggia, Managing Director of AT Switzerland, sheds light on the variety of new tobacco and nicotine products and their consequences for young people and public health in Switzerland.

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How the tobacco industry uses pricing to undermine tobacco taxation

Taxing tobacco products is the most effective means of controlling tobacco use, so the tobacco industry uses a range of sophisticated pricing strategies to undermine the preventive effect of tax increases.

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Second-hand smoke protection: canton Valais as pioneer?

The canton of Valais extends the protection against second-hand smoke and the ban on advertising tobacco products. Four questions to Alexandre Dubuis of Promotion santé Valais regarding the new ordinance, which came into force on 1 July 2021.

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Simpler, modern, professional: AT Switzerland has a new look

The Swiss Association for Tobacco Control has a new appearance. Alongside the modernisation of the logo, the focus is also on the newly designed website. This new corporate design strengthens the positioning of AT Switzerland.

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