Switzerland lifts access restrictions on medical marijuana as demand surges

Through Nina Zdinjak

The Swiss government has confirmed that it will lift restrictions on the use of medical marijuana from August 1st.

Medical marijuana patients must obtain a special permit from the Department of Health to obtain medical cannabis prescriptions, causing unnecessary delays. Beginning in August, the decision to use a cannabis-based drug for therapeutic purposes will be made by the doctor in consultation with the patient, Leafie said.

Photo by Henrique Ferreira via Unsplash

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The country’s parliament had previously approved a law amendment in March 2021 to improve access to medical marijuana, with the aim of “making it easier for patients to access cannabis for medical purposes”. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, the new rules should benefit thousands of patients, some of whom suffer from cancer or multiple sclerosis and deal with chronic pain on a daily basis. It turns out that the demand for medical marijuana treatments in Switzerland has been booming lately. In 2019 alone, the Ministry of Health issued 3,000 exemptions.

At the moment, only licensed medical marijuana products with less than 1% THC are available in Switzerland, such as B. Jazz Pharma’s Sativex, are allowed.

“Switzerland just took another major step in opening access for cannabis patients by giving physicians the freedom to prescribe cannabis products more easily and with fewer government restrictions,” said Mike Sassano, founder, chairman and CEO of Somai Pharmaceuticals versus Benzinga. “Switzerland follows the European countries; Germany did something similar in 2019 by allowing more medical indications to be treated. More and more European countries are now reconsidering restrictive policies, such as allowing cannabis only as a last resort. Changes in regulations, such as those being implemented by Switzerland, are expected to spread to Europe over the next 2 years. Recently Spain just announced that it will create regulations to allow medical cannabis and they will most likely look at the success in Germany and the positive regulations in Switzerland.”

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann via Unsplash

Recent cannabis developments in Switzerland

In May 2021, an amendment to the Federal Narcotics Act came into force in Switzerland, allowing pilot trials of the sale of cannabis for non-medical purposes. These studies are intended to lay the groundwork for future legislation and include 5,000 registered participants who have provided evidence to the federal government of past cannabis use.

RELATED: Switzerland: Authorities give green light to first pilot project to sell cannabis legally

In April 2022, the Swiss authorities gave the green light to a pilot project that would allow a few hundred people in the city of Basel to buy recreational cannabis from pharmacies.

In the same month, the Schlosshotel Zermatt, Europe’s first CBD spa, was inaugurated at the foot of the Matterhorn (famous for its ski resorts and as the logo of the Toblerone chocolate brand) in the Swiss Alps.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.