Cannabis pilot program starts in Switzerland

Weed is sold in one of the largest cities in Switzerland – at least for a few.

The country officially launched its cannabis pilot project on Monday, opening the way for a few hundred selected participants to purchase recreational marijuana from various dispensaries in the Swiss city of Basel.

Swiss officials gave the green light to the pilot project with the Federal Office of Public Health last year [saying] The idea of ​​the project is to increase understanding of ‘alternative forms of regulation’, such as regulated sales in pharmacies, which could be a basis for future legislation,” according to the Associated Press.

“The Basel project, in which the community, the University of Basel and the city’s psychiatric university clinics are involved, will start in late summer,” the AP reported last year. “Almost 400 participants can buy various cannabis products in selected pharmacies in Basel,” the city government announced. During the 2 1/2 year study, they will be regularly asked about their substance use and their physical and mental health.”

Program participants are closely monitored by government regulators and are prohibited from sharing cannabis with anyone outside of the program.

Vigia AG, a Swiss company that offers track-and-trace software, said this week that it “developed the Cannabis Dispensary System in partnership with the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) to reliably document the dispensing of products “. in turn, “allows cannabis commodity to be tracked transparently and provides the basis for scientific research.”

“We are in an emerging industry where various paths to legalization are currently being discussed. With a structured legalization process, maximum conformity and transparency, Switzerland is setting a good example. With our existing Cannavigia software and cannabis issuance system, we provide the various stakeholders with the necessary tools to track and document every step along the supply chain. We are proud to be part of the Swiss pilot projects and this historic milestone,” said Philipp Hagenbach, Chief Operating Officer of Vigia AG, in a press release on Monday.

The press release provides further details on Vigia AG’s involvement in the landmark Swiss program:

“Vigia AG is the official Track & Trace partner of the BAG for the pilot tests. This type of partnership between the government and a commercial company in the cannabis industry is unique in the industry. Vigia AG has expanded its existing Cannavigia software solution with a Cannabis Dispensary System (CDS). Thanks to the combination of both, the companies that grow cannabis for the projects can monitor their cultivation and their supply chain, which serves to ensure the quality of the end products.

“Those responsible for the project can register the study participants via the software, and those responsible for the Weed Care study will start doing so as early as September 2022. This allows the pharmacies to track both the sales and the individual quantities dispensed to the participants, which ensures that only authorized People who can buy products. This ensures consumer protection and in particular the protection of minors and leads to a transparent and traceable supply chain that can also be maintained in a legalized environment in the future. The Cannabis Dispensary System gives the FOPH an overview of the distribution of cannabis in Switzerland and supports the obligation to report to the UN International Narcotics Control Board. The data of the participants are always stored pseudonymously to ensure data protection.”