what are the tobacco control provisions in australia and switzerland

Nearly a third of French people smoke. These figures for 2022, the latest to date, show that tobacco consumption is no longer falling after years of sharp decline. It is first of all the poorest who are exposed. “Social inequalities in terms of smoking remain very marked”, concludes a study published Wednesday, May 31 under the aegis of the Public Health Agency France, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. Around the world, tobacco laws can be very different.

>> World No Tobacco Day: which countries smoke the most?

Australia is the first country to implement plain packaging and has one of the strictest tobacco control laws. A pack of cigarettes costs around 20 euros, against just under 11 euros in France, but the Australian government does not intend to stop there and has just announced increases of 5% per year over the next three years. Nevertheless, if the country has half as many smokers as in France, their number has not decreased for several years.

No neutral package in Switzerland

Conversely, Switzerland represents a real haven of peace for the major tobacco groups. No neutral package, minors can still buy cigarettes in certain cantons, while there is still very close proximity to the political class. It is no coincidence that in Europe the three largest cigarette manufacturers have their headquarters in the Swiss Confederation. But civil society kicked in the anthill in 2022. More than 55% of Swiss people said yes to a text that should ban cigarette advertising almost everywhere, going well beyond what parliament proposed.