57 per cent of Swiss voters have voted to tighten the country’s tobacco laws meaning near on all tobacco advertising will be banned, reports Al Jazeera.

The vote saw 57 per cent of voters and 16 of the 26 cantons approve the tightening of the law on tobacco advertising. Switzerland is one of the few wealthy countries where most tobacco advertising is still legal with the exception of television and radio adverts as well as those targeting youths. The resistance to tighten laws further is thought to be down to lobbying by big tobacco companies that have headquarters in Switzerland. According to Al Jazeera, campaigners had forced the issue to a vote under Switzerland’s direct democracy system with opponents of the initiative including the Swiss government and parliament.
“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 of the vote results.
On the other hand, Philippe Bauer, a parliamentarian with the right-wing Liberal Party warned that over-regulation could lead to other measures down the line.
“Today we are talking about cigarettes, but we will soon be talking about alcohol and meat. This dictatorship of the politically correct, where everything has to be regulated,” he said.
According to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Philip Morris International’s Swiss section urged parliament to show “moderation and measure” when drafting the decision into law. “This is a slippery slope as far as individual freedom is concerned,” he said.