Switzerland: Authorities give green light to first pilot project for the legal sale of cannabis

Of Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

On May 15, 2021, an amendment to the Federal Narcotics Act came into force in Switzerland, allowing pilot trials of dispensing 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.

For the study, cannabis must be organically grown, produced in Switzerland and contain no more than 20% THC. The country’s Federal Office of Public Health stated that current cannabis bans are nearly useless because “despite this ban, consumption is high, the black market is thriving and user safety is not assured.”

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann via Unsplash

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On Tuesday, 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, the Associated Press reports.

Almost 400 participants can buy cannabis products in selected pharmacies. They will be surveyed regularly over a period of 2½ years about their cannabis use habits and their physical and mental health.

The Federal Office of Public Health said the idea of ​​the projects is to improve understanding of “alternative forms of regulation” such as regulated sale in pharmacies, which could be a basis for future legislation. The cannabis for the study will be supplied by Pure Production, a Swiss company that was granted an exemption from the law for its research.

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

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