Finally: Lung association seeks petition to ban smoking in restaurants

mark · #1 24.10.2005, 21:27

Hi all,

I just got this sent via the economist city briefing for Zurich:

	Quote:
	Zurich’s Lung Association is working to ban smoking in the city’s restaurants. The group is organising a public petition, and if 4,000 people sign it, the cantonal government will be obliged to call a referendum. Otto Brändli, the health charity’s president, announced the petition two days after the canton of Ticino became the first Swiss regional authority to ban smoking in all public buildings. Mr Brändli says an existing motion slowly making its way through Zurich’s cantonal parliament does not go far enough as it only calls for “a greater protection of non-smokers in middle- and large-sized restaurants.” Switzerland has some of the most lax smoking restrictions in Europe, and its proportion of smokers—around 31%—is one of the highest in the continent, according to a 2004 study. But perceptions of Switzerland as a “smokers’ paradise” could soon change. Several cantons are considering following Ticino’s example, while Felix Gutzwiller, a Zurich politician, is pressing for a vote on the ban in the national parliament. Smoking will also be banned on all major public-transport networks from December 11th.

Well I was surprised. Isn't that great how democracy works? Well I'll be one of the first to line up and sign that petition, but I doubt this form of democracy will be available to smelly, tax-paying foreigners. But at least if you think this is a good idea you can try and convince your Swiss friends to sign it.

I visited http://www.lungenliga-zh.ch/ and found an announcement on their website that it isn't ready yet, but you can send them an email if you are interested. Surely 4,000 signatures can't be that hard to get??

If anyone else has any news - please post it!

Mark

panamahat · #2 30.11.2005, 12:24

quite a high proportional number

is that 'cos fags are just so damn cheap here ?

nathalie7777 · #3 04.12.2005, 14:43

It is about TIME. I have been back in CH since last year and i have not once been to a restaurant for that one particular reason "SMOKE". It is disgusting... Even in winter time, waiting at the bus or tram stop i and my children have to inhale this disgusting cancer stick.... Smokers are so selfish and think that everyone else has to inhale this poison. I am sooo excited that the ban of smoking at least in restaurants is slowly but surely happening here as well.

wallace · #4 05.12.2005, 06:48

Strongly agree to the ban of smoking. Smoking is a kind of chronic poison.It will kill the smoker and others as well.

mark · #5 08.12.2005, 16:00

So it seems that 2 surveys have been published which show strong public backing for supporting a ban on smoking in public buildings and restaurants. There now seems to be a lot of press coverage. It looks like this might actually happen!

(see my other post in the complaints corner with some links to one of the surveys)

The Lungen Liga need only 4,000 signatures to force a vote on this. I know most of you can't vote - so please go and start bugging your Swiss friends to get behind this and sign that petition. Foreigners aren't banned from making donations to the Lugenliga - so if you believe in the cause you can also make a donation to them as well - it seems like they are the only ones fighting the cause!

So help support healthy lungs (including your own) and get on board!

Mark

Richard · #6 14.12.2005, 17:22

As a frequent rail traveller I was somewhat surprised to hear recently the announcement please refrain from smoking on trains... And it was also interesting Monday when a GERMAN (where smoking to be rude is trained from birth) ICE train announce the crossing into Switzerland and that smoking is from this point on forbidden!

I guess the difference in words says it all!

Richard

sezegnin · #7 06.02.2006, 09:57

There is a similar vote in Geneva to introduce a law on Italian lines that I understand will be voted on at the end of July.

The site for this initiative (rather confusing and in French) is at

http://www.prevention.ch/sansfumee.htm

mark · #8 06.02.2006, 18:54

	Quote:	sezegnin
	There is a similar vote in Geneva to introduce a law on Italian lines that I understand will be voted on at the end of July. The site for this initiative (rather confusing and in French) is at http://www.prevention.ch/sansfumee.htm

Geneva has always been a bit more progressive.. Maybe it's because they invented that convention thingy than nobody seems to pay an attention to anymore

No seriously - great - More power to them. Now I've done a bit more research on this petition thing. You can download the forms from the website and get your mates to sign it. But wait... there's more....

You have to be Swiss to sign the petition (we knew that already).
You have to have people from different gemeinden sign different forms.

So if you live in the town of Zurich and all your mates/co-workers live there as well that's no problem. But if you find someone who lives in a different gemeinde then they have to have a separate form, and this form has to be stamped at their local gemeinde by the appropriate person... So I guess you can see that this isn't an easy thing to get organised unless you always hang around your local gemeinde...

I just checked the lungenliga (lung league) website. So far all they have in their news is that the collection of signatures lasts until July - but nothing else. A bit dissapointing - easier to mobilise people if they get some encouragement!

Also - if you read the text on the form it says that this is the proposal:

	Quote:
	Art. 22 Gastgewerbesetz (neu) Randtitel Rauchen in Innenräumen 1 Das Rauchen in Innenräumen von Gastwirtschaftsbetrieben ist verboten. 2 Es besteht die Möglichkeit, zum Rauchen abgetrennte Räumlichkeiten zur Verfügung zu stellen.

This basically says - smoking is banned - but there is the possibility that you can designate separate rooms for smoking. So will this be effective? Article 20 of the current Gastgeberesetz already states that separated smoking and non-smoking areas must be maintained. How will this proposal actually change anything at all?

By the way - I also wrote to the lungenliga and gave them links to the various discussions we were having on the topic, but they never replied. Maybe they looked, but who knows?

Mark

sezegnin · #9 06.02.2006, 19:16

I would guess the main reason Geneva (and the Schwyzerfroggen in general) are "progressive" is because they are an oppressed minority themselves.

If you've lived in Switzerland for more than 8 years and reside in Geneva (and I believe the other French cantons as well) you can vote in local and cantonal matters (presumably including the smoking vote in July) whatever your nationality.

We also have a lot of Italians in Geneva which probably has some impact on people dimly realising things are changing elsewhere in Europe. The news will likely take twenty years to filter through to Obwalden.

My German isn't strong enough to help with the cryptic Lung League website, sorry.

	Quote:	mark
	Geneva has always been a bit more progressive.. Maybe it's because they invented that convention thingy than nobody seems to pay an attention to anymore Mark

mark · #10 06.02.2006, 19:35

Some good points there, which makes me think that we should get a lively discussion about the "Röstigraben" going - we just need to get some more people from "the other side" to make it interesting. I've started the thread here:

http://www.englishforum.ch/showthread.php?p=1122

Mark

mark · #11 14.03.2006, 08:17

	Quote:	sezegnin
	If you've lived in Switzerland for more than 8 years and reside in Geneva (and I believe the other French cantons as well) you can vote in local and cantonal matters (presumably including the smoking vote in July) whatever your nationality.

Are you sure about this? I just found this article on Swissinfo:

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissin...06&sid=6546217

A quote:

	Quote:
	Turnout was low among foreigners in cantons Fribourg and Vaud, where they were allowed to vote in municipal elections for the first time. Foreign participation in such elections was unprecedented. "We have no studies or past experiences to look at," said political analyst, René Knüsel, of Lausanne University. Among the conditions in canton Vaud, voting rights are only granted to non-Swiss with year round work permits, or those with full-time residency papers and who have lived in the country for the past ten years and at least three years in the canton.

This would suggest to me that despite rumours that in some places foreigners can vote, they cannot. This article indicates that foreigners in only these 2 cantons have won the right to vote, BUT only in their gemeinde elections, not in the Canton elections (if that's what they mean by municipal level). And even then the requirements are so strict that they would have long been citizens in many other countries anyway!

Does anyone else have any data on this?

mark · #12 15.03.2006, 09:22

ok, now to get this thread back on topic. The Lugenliga have just added this news to their website:

	Quote:
	2500 Unterschriften bereits eingetroffen! Die Lungenliga Zürich freut sich mit Ihnen! Einen Monat nach dem Start der Volksinitiative zum "Schutz vor Passivrauchen" für rauchfreie Restaurants im Kanton Zürich sind bereits 2'500 Unterschriften eingetroffen. Durchwegs positive Rückmeldungen und viele schöne Komplimente und Ermunterungen haben die erste Etappe der Unterschriftensammlung begleitet. Lassen Sie nicht locker! Bleiben Sie dran und helfen Sie weiterhin beim sammeln für ein Superergebnis! Die Zürcher Bevölkerung dankt es Ihnen!

Here's a really rough translation because I am feeling lazy this morning - "Only 1 month after we started this we got 2,500. We also got lots of compliments along with the signatures. But don't slack off - help us to continue to collect signatures, the people of Zurich thank you"