Switzerland: The former President of the Confederation believes in the legalization of cannabis

In an interview with the Tribune de Genève, former Swiss President Ruth Dreyfus said she is «fairly optimistic» about Switzerland’s ability to eventually regulate the cannabis market. She expects this to happen once the results of the pilot programs for the legal distribution of cannabis are in. which will begin this summer in Switzerland, or in at least 4 years.

«The international convention and national laws have done more harm than good,», said as well as Ruth Dreifuss. In recent years, reforms have been implemented, particularly regarding access to essential medications that could be classified as controlled substances. But while progress has also been made at the multilateral level, it is not enough, according to Ruth Dreifuss.

«As long as we continue to take a prohibitionist approach, we will suffer the consequences,» she said.

The city of Basel will begin its pilot program Starting at the end of the summer, 400 adult consumers will be able to legally purchase cannabis at a rate of 10 grams of pure THC per month, or approximately 50 grams of flower containing 20% of THC. Lausanne will follow at the end of the year.

Following Basel’s lead, other Swiss cities are considering launching their own pilot programs. Geneva, the country’s economic capital, as well as Zurich, the second-largest city, could follow suit. If these studies prove successful, the federal government could consider legalizing cannabis nationwide.

750,000 joints are smoked every day in Switzerland

A recent study A study by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) found that 56 metric tons of cannabis are consumed each year in Switzerland (population of 8.6 million), equivalent to 750,000 joints smoked per day, and generating annual revenue of 1 billion Swiss francs (985 million euros) from both direct sources (cannabis sales) and indirect sources (social costs, law enforcement, and the justice system).

The study shows that legalizing personal use and implementing Cannabis Social Clubs would reduce annual cannabis revenue to 650 million francs due to price declines resulting from competition. Police and judicial activities related to cannabis enforcement would also be reduced, leading to a decline in the market’s indirect revenue.

The report even posits that a fully regulated market would cause the sector's revenue to drop to 200 million Swiss francs.

Dr. Oliver Hoff, a research associate at the Institute for Sociological Research at the University of Geneva and author of the study, commented on the study’s findings: «The results of the simulations show that the current regulations are highly inefficient for Switzerland from an economic standpoint. While artificially high margins primarily benefit those operating illegally, consumers suffer from a lack of transparency and product quality. The healthcare system and prevention programs face much greater difficulty in reaching problem users, and the government lacks access to the market in terms of regulation, taxation, and health policy.».