Switzerland: High consumption of puffs among young people, cantons strengthen their regulations

According to a study joint study by Unisanté and Promotion santé Valais published at the beginning of February[1], in French-speaking Switzerland, one in eight young people aged 14 to 25 frequently uses disposable puff-type e-cigarettes. The survey interviewed 1,362 young people in August 2022. Some cantons are concerned about this consumption and are strengthening their regulations on vaping products in an effort to protect young people.

Switzerland is lagging far behind in the fight against smoking and remains to this day one of the last countries not to have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Smoking prevalence is high there, with more than a quarter of the population aged 15 and over smoking occasionally or daily.

High consumption of puffs among Swiss adolescents

The survey shows that nearly 6 out of 10 respondents (59%) reported having already used puffs at least once. The study also shows that 91% of these young people say they are familiar with puffs and that 12% use them frequently, the intensity of the frequency corresponding to more than ten days of use during the last month. Among regular puff users, 59% also report having used conventional cigarettes during the last 30 days.

This high consumption is driven by flavours, since 63% of the young people surveyed said they consumed them because of the diversity of flavours offered. Furthermore, one in five young people said they consumed puffs with a nicotine level exceeding the legal maximum corresponding to 20 mg/ml. This situation increases the risk of rapid and lasting addiction.

Call for stronger regulations around vaping products

Following these findings, the authors of the study issue a series of recommendations, including:

- A ban on all advertising, promotion and sponsorship for tobacco and/or nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes, particularly on the internet, in newspapers and in places that may be frequented by young people. Points of sale and festivals are mentioned as examples. This request is an extension of the popular initiative "children without tobacco" adopted by the population and the cantons in February 2022. The AT Suisse association calls on Parliament to act in this direction[2]The study shows that one in two young people has already been exposed to advertising for puffs, mainly on social networks, and that 14-17 year-olds are even more exposed to it than 18-25 year-olds.

Other recommendations concern:

- The ban on flavourings and additives in electronic cigarettes, which facilitate the introduction of these products to young people;

- The ban, at the cantonal level, on the sale of vaping products to those under 18 years of age.

- Better control of measures concerning these products, and in particular control of their composition, nicotine levels, compliance with health warnings and the collection systems concerning them.

Swiss cantons are already strengthening their legislation around vaping products

Ticino, an Italian-speaking canton located in the south of Switzerland, unanimously approved on Monday 13 February a modification of its legislation which now assimilates vaping products to traditional tobacco products.[3]The text thus prohibits the sale of these products to those under 18 in the canton from June 2023. In addition, the ban on smoking inside buildings will also be extended to electronic cigarettes.

In French-speaking Switzerland, the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Valais have also banned the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors.

In December 2022, the canton of Vaud submitted to the Grand Council a draft amendment to three pieces of legislation so that vaping products, including puffs, are subject to the same legal framework as traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products (ban on sale to those under 18 and ban on advertising to them).

Keywords: Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland, puffs, vaping, advertising, flavors, young people

AE

[1] First figures on puff consumption among young people, AT Switzerland, published on February 2, 2023, consulted on February 15, 2023

[2] The people and the cantons finally want to protect children and young people from tobacco advertising, AT Switzerland, published on February 13, 2023, consulted on February 15, 2023

[3] Ticino legislates against vaping, Liberty, published February 13, 2023, consulted February 15, 2023