Swiss pharmacies will price medical marijuana at black market prices
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On September 15, Basel-Stadt will start the first Swiss project for the legal sale of cannabis in pharmacies. The project will help assess the impact of new regulations on recreational cannabis use and combat black market distribution.
The Federal Office of Public Health approved the pilot in April. The University of Basel, its psychiatric clinics and its health department will be involved as part of the project. “Six cannabinoid products – four types of cannabis flower and two types of hashish – will be sold in nine pharmacies selected by the authorities,” said Health Minister Lukas Engelberger.
Cannabis users over the age of 18 can now register to take part, with a maximum of 370 participants. In addition, pharmacies charge prices similar to those set on the black market for products containing THC. A gram therefore costs 8 to 12 francs (8.40 to 12.60 dollars).
Photo by Henrique Ferreira via Unsplash
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In September 2020, the Swiss Parliament created the legal basis for such small initiatives. Thereafter, other local authorities, including Zurich, Geneva and Bern, also applied for similar trials.
Legal prohibition of cannabis for adults
In 2008, almost two-thirds of Swiss voters rejected an initiative to decriminalize cannabis use. According to estimates by the Health Department, there are 220,000 regular users of cannabis in Switzerland, despite the legal ban.
However, medicinal cannabis has been legal in Switzerland since August 1st. With the amendment to the Swiss Narcotics Act, which changed the legal status of cannabis, patients can now obtain medical marijuana with a simple prescription from their doctor. Before medical cannabis was legalized, patients had to submit an application to the Federal Office of Public Health.
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As reported by Forbes, the new legislation allows the export of medicinal cannabis for commercial purposes. Companies apply for approval from Swissmedic, the Swiss supervisory authority for medicinal products and medical devices.
According to EU standards, available medical cannabis contains high levels of CBD and less than 1% THC.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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