Federal Legislation

In Switzerland, tobacco and nicotine products are regulated at the federal level and, in part, at the cantonal level. Four federal laws are worth noting:

• The Tobacco Products Act, adopted in 2021, regulates most aspects of tobacco and nicotine products, including issues relating to advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; warnings; and the minimum age of sale. This law replaces the provisions of the Tobacco Ordinance and should come into force at the beginning of 2024.
• In addition to the Tobacco Products Act, the Radio and Television Act regulates the provisions on advertising of tobacco and nicotine products in the media.
• The Protection against Passive Smoking Act, which came into force in 2010, regulates smoking bans in the workplace and in public places such as restaurants.
• The Tobacco Tax Act regulates the taxation of tobacco and nicotine products.

The Tobacco Products Act and the Protection against Passive Smoking Act are supplemented by various cantonal rules, usually formulated in the cantonal health act, the hotel and restaurant act, or a separate alcohol and tobacco law. Some cantons have laws on the protection against passive smoking. In this area in particular, more than half of the cantons have adopted more stringent restrictions than those in federal law.

Compared to Europe and the rest of the world, Swiss legislation on protection against tobacco, nicotine, and their consequences is very weak. Switzerland is one of the last countries not to have ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

AT Switzerland is committed to the continuous improvement of the legal situation with regard to the protection of children, adolescents, and adults against tobacco and nicotine products.

Federal tobacco legislation (Including law enforcement orders)

AT Switzerland, June 2022