Switzerland: cannabis legalization pilot projects can now go ahead

The Swiss Council of States has made up its mind: cannabis distribution pilot projects should go ahead after all. The Council adopted a motion by Roberto Zanetti, which went against the refusal of the Federal Council, which said it was ready to review the regulations. according to LeTemps.

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) had in fact rejected last November experimental projects for the controlled distribution of cannabis for recreational use desired by several Swiss cities including Geneva, Zurich, Biel and Basel, on the grounds that the current law did not authorize the non-medical use of cannabis.

The aim of these tests is to study the consequences of controlled cannabis distribution on a limited number of cannabis-using participants who would be granted legal access to their consumption. The points studied will focus in particular on the evolution of trafficking in these areas.

The FOPH will therefore look into ways of amending the current law to allow such experiments. Parliament's Public Health Committee has also declared itself ready to move in this direction, so that Parliament can legislate.

No deadline has yet been communicated, but the fact that all the bodies at the heart of the matter have decided to move in the same direction suggests that things could move quickly.