disrupt Europe? – Switzerland opens the floodgates for shipping cannabis all over the world

At the moment an aggressive revolution is taking place in Switzerland. The nation is bracing for what is likely the most disruptive attempt at leisure in Europe.

According to Forbes, starting August 1, Switzerland will allow medical marijuana patients to get prescriptions directly from their doctor instead of having to apply for a permit from the BAG (Federal Office of Public Health). The new regulations make medical marijuana legal in the country and allow the export of medical marijuana for commercial purposes. However, the products must not contain more than 1% THC.

Meanwhile, many other important events are taking place. In particular, the government will remove the restriction that doctors who prescribe cannabis do so only with express permission.

The Swiss Federal Council, a seven-member administrative body that acts as the joint head of state and federal government, began deliberations on amending the Narcotics Act last Wednesday.

Both types of marijuana, recreational and medicinal, have been banned in Switzerland since 1951. This amendment to the Federal Narcotics Act will allow doctors in Switzerland to more or less freely prescribe marijuana at their own discretion. Currently, approximately 3,000 approvals are granted each year to treat patients with neurological disorders, MS and cancer.

As a result, cannabis is only becoming a regulated narcotic, as is the case with Germany across the DACH border (DACH is an acronym for Switzerland, Germany and Austria who are in a special trade alliance). The three countries are also nearly the same culturally, starting with a common language.

THE UNUSUAL TWIST FROM THE SWISS

Since we are dealing with marijuana, there will always be a twist in all of this no matter where the reform takes place.

On the bright side, the cultivation, production, and sale of medical marijuana is being approved at the federal level for the first time. Export for commercial purposes is permitted. However, the rules on imports are not so clear (although it’s unlikely anyone will restrict EU-GMP medical type imports).

You can hardly call it revolutionary when you consider that Switzerland’s closest trading neighbor to the north, Germany, switched to it four years ago. In fact, the first cannabis grown in Germany is only now reaching the pharmacies there. Meanwhile, growing cannabis for personal use is of course still prohibited.

Well, here’s the weirdest, if not the most suspicious, twist of them all.

Switzerland will also start an extraordinary leisure experiment in the coming months. The study will show that pharmacies in Switzerland will be able to sell high-THC goods to anyone who has the money, as long as they are over the age of 21.

The Swiss solution isn’t as cynical as the Dutch, who allowed insurers to stop paying out medical marijuana claims almost immediately after the law was changed in Germany, to say that public insurers did so back in 2017.

That being said, the experiment is definitely taking place at an intriguing time, just over the border. German federal lawmakers’ talk about which way the winds of marijuana legalization would blow as a result of the late September election was one of the busiest panels at the last ICBC in Berlin.

Cannabis reform is a sore point everywhere, including and maybe especially in Germany, which has by far the most important market for medical marijuana in Europe. It is also the most influential. Cannabis reform is a hot topic almost everywhere. Furthermore, reformers in Germany are extremely unlikely to miss an opportunity to brief German lawmakers, who are still extremely reticent about what the Swiss are currently doing.

EFFORTLESS ACCESS…

The ongoing, harsh government response to any form of cannabis reform is one of the biggest annoyances in the DACH region (which of course also includes Austria). An example of this is the recent disaster that Lidl, one of the world’s largest retailers, had in Munich.

In fact, recent absurd prosecutions, particularly in Germany where hemp tea is a hot topic, and lack of reform are likely to spur at least some reform in Germany. The Swiss seemed poised to lead Europe, if not the DACH region, on anything that affects or is at least considering both recreational and medical reforms. Add a general relaxation of restrictions in Switzerland to the equation, along with what appears to be an already smoother, if not more sensible, plan for manufacturing and cultivation, and the Swiss looked poised and willing to lead the way.

The change is not only welcome, but long overdue, according to Dr. Francis Scanlan, CEO of Cloud 9 Switzerland, a life sciences company preparing to launch its own Swiss THC candy bar after breaking new ground with its product being the first-ever Edible CBD to begin selling in Dubai.

According to Scanlan, this is a very sensible, albeit progressive, action in response to the widespread recognition of cannabis as a legitimate treatment that genuinely benefits patients and has the potential to save on healthcare costs while generating tax revenue. “What is happening in Switzerland for prescription medicinal cannabis and our new recreational pilot program is very impressive and should be seen as a sensible way to regulate a crop that has been demonized globally for far too long,” the statement said.

FINAL EFFECT

The new regulation in Switzerland puts an end to the ban on cannabis that has existed since 1951. The regulation will fully legalize both recreational and medical marijuana in the country. Patients already taking marijuana medication and potential medical cannabis patients will also have no problems accessing marijuana, as the new law will not require doctors to obtain permission before prescribing cannabis. The law also sees Switzerland as the most progressive of the DACH and places it in a leading position.

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