Swiss parliament agrees to ban disposable vapes

Disposable vapes have been available in Switzerland since 2020. Keystone-SDA

Disposable e-cigarettes, or vapes, should be banned for sale in Switzerland, according to the Swiss parliament. On Wednesday, the Swiss Senate voted on this issue, passing a motion that had already been validated by the House of Representatives in 2024.

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Disposable vapes have been on the Swiss market since 2020. Adolescents and pre-adolescents are particularly attracted by the colourful, multi-flavoured products. The consumption trend is upwards, according to Christophe Clivaz, a Green Party parliamentarian behind the motion.

He points out that disposable vapes can contain high levels of nicotine without any controls, sometimes even exceeding the legal threshold of 20 mg/ml, an amount equivalent to several hundred puffs of conventional cigarettes, or more than one packet.

Also, they contain nicotine in the form of nicotine salt, which is not more dangerous than nicotine, but more addictive.

Flavia Wasserfallen, a Social Democrat, also expressed her concern about these products, whose low price, attractive flavours and appealing design target young people in particular and expose them to an increased risk of addiction. She also stressed the fact that vapes are often poorly disposed of.

“Vapes present health risks, damage the environment and lead to costs for everyone,” she added.

Don’t go it alone

The Federal Council initially opposed the motion, rejecting any ban that would create technical barriers to trade. It pointed out that the European Union has no ban on such products. Switzerland should not go it alone, agreed Hannes Germann of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, urging pragmatism.

However, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider accepted the decision, saying she was aware of the problem. European countries such as France and the United Kingdom have already taken measures, as well as Swiss cantons such as Valais and Jura.

The minister admitted that other measures proposed by the government, such as making tax breaks less attractive or setting a higher tax rate, would not have the same effect. In Wednesday’s vote, the People’s Party and most centre-right Radical-Liberals opposed the motion, which passed by 19 votes to 11.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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