Which figures show that legal substances do more harm in Switzerland than illegal drugs, and how does the country rank in tobacco control?
About one death in eight (around 9,200 a year) is linked to smoking, 1,600 people a year die from alcohol misuse, and the social costs of addiction exceed CHF 8 billion a year. Yet Switzerland ranks 99th of 100 countries in the Global Tobacco Index 2025, one of the most industry-friendly countries.
Key figures from MonAM, the federal monitoring system for addiction and non-communicable diseases:
- Every eighth death (around 9,200 a year) is related to smoking.
- 1,600 people a year die from the consequences of alcohol misuse.
- Every sixth psychiatric diagnosis involves an alcohol problem.
- Alcohol is involved in half of all criminal offences.
- Total cost to society: over CHF 8 billion a year.
The conclusion: legal substances (tobacco, alcohol) cause far more harm than the substances usually called "drugs". Public concern and policy attention do not follow the harm.
On tobacco, Switzerland is an outlier: in the Global Tobacco Index 2025, which measures how much the tobacco industry influences government policy, it is 99th of 100, just above the Dominican Republic. It has signed but not ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and several global tobacco companies have major sites in the country. For smokers, that is a "treat" (Leckerli): a country that does little to get in the way of tobacco sales and advertising.
Go deeper:
MonAM: Swiss monitoring system for addiction and NCDs — the indicator source for these figures.
Global Tobacco Index 2025 — the country ranking of tobacco-industry interference.- Wikipedia: Tobacco industry in Switzerland — why the country ranks so low.