The Swiss parliament is currently debating tightening restrictions on advertising of tobacco products. This comes after a people’s initiative calls for a radical advertising ban to protect children, SWI swissinfo.ch reported.

The parliament is currently discussing whether to tighten Switzerland's current tobacco laws, which are some of the most liberal in the world. The draft bill would restrict national advertising campaigns for tobacco products, the report said.
Since 2016, lawmakers have been considering a revised Tobacco Product Law. Advertising is a particularly sensitive topic in Switzerland, as the country is home to the international headquarters of industry giants such as Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco.
Switzerland has so far refused to restrict tobacco advertising aimed at young people. This makes it one of a small group of countries that have not ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Several parliamentarians see the proposed tobacco rules as an attack on the commercial freedom of companies and on the right of individuals to choose for themselves. Others believe that more needs to be done to protect minors and argue that advertising for all tobacco products should be banned in free newspapers and on the internet. According to the report, 27 per cent of the population aged 15 and over smoke in Switzerland.