Switzerland: Basel-Stadt Rejects Ban on Disposable Vapes
The government of the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt has rejected a proposal to ban the sale of disposable vapes, despite sympathizing with the measure’s intentions. In a statement released on Tuesday, the cantonal executive said that a motion put forward in the Great Council (the canton’s parliament) would violate “higher-ranking law” and is therefore inadmissible.
In November 2024, the Great Council referred the motion, introduced by Christoph Hochuli of the Evangelical People’s Party (EVP), to the government for an initial report by a vote of 45 to 35, with 11 abstentions. While the government has now declined to implement an outright ban, it has requested that the council consider the motion as a “postulate” for further study.
The government stated that it would, in principle, welcome a ban on disposable e-cigarettes and will continue to monitor developments at the federal level and in other cantons.
The decision in Basel-Stadt comes amid a broader national discussion about the regulation of e-cigarettes in Switzerland. The cantons of Valais and Jura have already passed laws prohibiting the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, while the Federal Assembly is considering similar measures.
In June 2024, the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss Parliament, approved a motion by Green Party member Christophe Clivaz of Vaud calling for a nationwide ban on disposable e-cigarettes by a vote of 122 to 63, with 4 abstentions. The motion must now be considered by the Council of States, the upper house, before any national regulations can be implemented.
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