Berne wants to test the controlled sale of cocaine

The legal sale of cocaine in the Swiss capital, Bern, may be authorized following the introduction of a bill last week, which was passed by a vote of 43 to 18. However, the sale of cocaine cannot be legalized until the bill is passed at the federal level by the Swiss government.

The Alternative Left party in the Bern city government introduced the bill, which was opposed by city council members from the center-right and religious parties. The bill received support from the left, including members of the Social Democratic Party.

Last year, Bern became one of the first cities in Europe to authorize and implement the legal sale of cannabis. Designed as a pilot study that could be expanded to the rest of the country, the SCRIPT project (Safer Cannabis – Research in Pharmacies Trial) at the University of Bern in Switzerland will study the effects of the legal sale of cannabis on society.

Last month, the federal government authorized the University of Bern’s pilot project to sell cannabis, but it is unlikely that it will do the same for the sale of cocaine in the immediate future.

Franziska Teuscher, director of education, social affairs, and sports for the Bern municipal government, explained that the cannabis bill was passed at the federal level due to pressure exerted on the government by other cities.

She said, «The government only agreed to the cannabis pilot projects under pressure from the cities.» She added that the bill on the legal sale of cocaine was intended to send a message to other cities.

Cocaine use in Switzerland is among the highest in Europe. Four cities rank among the top 20: Zurich, Geneva, and Basel are in 5th, 6th, and 7th place, respectively, and Bern is in 18th place (the list excludes cities located in non-EU countries).

A previous proposal to legalize cocaine sales was rejected in 2019, but revised plans with more restrictions garnered enough additional support from the left-wing Social Democratic Party for the motion to pass on Thursday.

Andre Gomes, communications manager at Release, said of this proposal: «This pilot project will be extremely interesting, given that Europe is the epicenter of global cocaine demand. Although the details of how this model will work are not yet clear, the momentum generated by city-level initiatives has helped demonstrate the existence of potential future models for drug regulation.»

«The cocaine industry will not become safer until the global supply chain is reformed. It is not yet clear how this cocaine will be obtained legally; whatever regulatory model is implemented, it must counter the dangerous and ineffective global war on drugs.».