Switzerland will officially launch a trial version of a legal, recreational cannabis market, making it the first European country to allow a legal, adult-use cannabis supply chain.
In September 2020, the Swiss Parliament passed an amendment to the Federal Act on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances that allows for pilot schemes where adult-use cannabis can be legally produced, imported and then distributed to registered users. Beginning on May 15, 5,000 registered citizens will be sent a small amount of cannabis to consume each month. Those who register for the trial must be over 18 years old, must be residents in the city where the trial is taking place and must already be a cannabis consumer. According to estimates, Switzerland is home to about 500,000 cannabis consumers despite it not being legal in the country.
For the trial, the cannabis must be deemed organic and produced in Switzerland. Packaging will follow the model of Canadian cannabis companies and will be child-resistant, have safety warnings and will have the cannabinoid content labeled clearly. The cannabis used in the trials will have a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content no higher than 20 percent.
Multiple Swiss cities have announced they have applied for the trials or support the trials. The trials will take place in Switzerland’s larger cities. Basel, Bern, Biel, Geneva and Zurich have all expressed interest in partaking in the trials.
“The models must be tested before starting the debate on whether or not to liberalise cannabis,” Pierre-Yves Maillard (Social Democrats), a spokesperson for the responsible committee, said.
Near the end of 2020, Swiss officials approved legislation that would expand medical cannabis access and make sure all cannabis patients would be able to get the medicine they need. The amendment would change the responsibility of what is required to receive a cannabis prescription and would allow physicians to have control over medical cannabis access.
