Off for cigarette advertising

Hanna Helder studied German language and literature at the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. In addition to her studies, she has gained a lot of experience in radio and print journalism through internships and freelance work. She has been at the Burda School of Journalism since October 2018 and writes, among other things, as a trainee for

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

They haven't been on the radio or television for a long time: tobacco advertising. Now the advertising ban is to be expanded significantly - ten years later than originally planned.

According to the federal government's drug report, the tobacco industry spent almost 96 million euros on outdoor advertising on billboards or at bus stops in 2017, and around 2 million euros on advertising in the cinema - that will soon be over.

Ten years later than planned

It is, however, high time for that: when it comes to tobacco control, Germany is at the bottom of the list in Europe: it occupies the inglorious 36th place in the Euroranking. No other country in the EU still allows outdoor advertising for cigarettes, and no other is doing so little to prevent smoking.

The Federal Republic of International committed itself 16 years ago to banning all forms of tobacco advertising by 2010 at the latest.

Outdoor advertising is prohibited

Outdoor advertising for cigarettes and tobacco products is to be banned from 2022. A year later, an advertising ban for so-called tobacco heaters and one for e-cigarettes is planned in 2024. In addition, tobacco advertising in the cinema is to be further restricted.

On Friday, the Bundestag debated a corresponding bill by the grand coalition for the first time. It is planned to adopt it during the course of the year and to come into force on January 1, 2021.

Spahn: "100,000 dead as a result of smoking"

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) spoke on Friday of an important Bundestag debate. "In Germany, more than 100,000 people die every year as a result of smoking. Less advertising prevents many a smoking career from starting," he wrote on Twitter.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva also welcomed the project. Germany has always been at the bottom of the list when it comes to advertising bans, said the WHO director for health promotion, Rüdiger Krech, of the German press agency.

Concrete prohibitions

The following is planned: As early as January 1, 2021, cinema advertising for smoking should be taboo for films that are approved for under 18-year-olds. This should also end with the distribution of free samples outside of specialist shops, for example at music festivals and tobacco products as prizes in competitions.

The ban on outdoor advertising for tobacco products is planned from January 1, 2022, for example on posters at bus stops, on advertising pillars or on parasols in beer gardens. From January 1, 2023, it is to be expanded to include so-called tobacco heaters and from January 1, 2024 to e-cigarettes. Advertising directly at points of sale should continue to be allowed.

The tobacco industry sees itself attacked in the absence of advertising

In contrast, the tobacco industry sees the ban as a "disproportionate encroachment on fundamental rights" to advertise freedom. The smoking behavior of friends and family, not advertising, is decisive for the start of smoking, especially by minors.

The planned bans would not only affect manufacturers and retailers, but also municipalities, cinemas and restaurants, because they would lose advertising income, said the chief executive of the Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE), Jan Mücke, at the beginning of the week.

Don't even start

Nicotine addiction is not easy to overcome. The physical dependency is over after days or at the latest a few weeks. But psychological addiction remains in the head for a long time. If you can't get rid of cigarettes and the like on your own, you should seek help: Nicotine replacement preparations help you overcome physical withdrawal. But psychological coping strategies are even more important.

Read here how to quit smoking. (hh / dpa)

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