Zurich extends its pilot project for the regulated sale of cannabis until 2028

The City of Zurich plans to extend its pilot project for the regulated sale of cannabis until 2028, two years later than originally planned. Dubbed «Züri-Can», the initiative was launched to test alternatives to prohibition and to study the social and health effects of legal access to cannabis.

Initially scheduled to end in october 2026, the extension announced by Zurich City Council will require an additional investment of 800,000 Swiss francs. According to the municipal authorities, the continuation of the project aims to consolidate data collected to date and to assess in greater detail the impact of regulated access on public health and the black market.

More 2,300 participants are currently involved in the study, a figure that could rise to 3 000 after the federal government approved an extension earlier this year. The aim is to include a more diverse group of consumers, in particular women and occasional consumers, who have been under-represented until now.

Tangible results

After its first year, Zurich's Switzerland's largest cannabis pilot project, has produced encouraging results. The researchers observed a significant change in consumer behavior: more 90 % of participants are now buying their cannabis in pharmacies and specialty stores participating in the project.

« Participants appreciate no longer having to buy their products on the black market »explains Dr Thilo Beck, one of the project's supervisors. «They can now use in a non-stigmatized environment, receive advice and are no longer judged.»

While some consumers still occasionally turn to the illegal market, the trend is clear: the black market is losing ground. Since the project began, around 88,000 regulated sales were recorded, representing approximately 750 kilograms of cannabis and an estimated loss of 7.5 million Swiss francs for the illicit trade.

Changing habits and new preferences

In addition to its economic impact, «Züri-Can» is also reshaping consumption patterns. Many participants experiment with products rarely available on the street, such as low-THC cannabis. According to Dr. Beck, this development reflects the growing awareness of the health benefits gentler products, as they contribute to greater well-being without compromising safety.

L’étude offers a wide range of products whose THC content varies from 5 % to 25 %, as well as edible products such as sweets and pralines infused with THC, which have proved to be particularly popular, a trend that can also be found in in other Swiss pilot projects. These alternatives enable consumers to reduce their tobacco consumption and the associated respiratory risks.

«Many of them suffer from smoking-related cardiovascular or pulmonary problems,» noted the research team.

Since the start of the experiment, around 37 kilograms of THC-based products were sold through regulated channels. The most popular categories remain cannabis flowers, the hashish and edible products.

Broader ambitions for Switzerland

L’Swiss Cannabis Research Association, which coordinates the trial in Zurich, is pleased with the results so far. «We're very satisfied after the first year,» said Paul-Lukas Good, president of the association. He pointed out that the participants represent «the whole of Swiss society: they are your son, your daughter or your grandmother». For him, the study demonstrates that regulated access can meet the public's expectations in a responsible and transparent way.

All in all, 4,500 people are taking part in the broader cannabis research program in Switzerland, 1 500 of which continue to buy on the illegal market as a means of control group. The aim is to generate reliable data on the potential effects of legalization on the health, safety and crime.

The Zurich initiative is part of a broader federal framework authorizing pilot projects on the controlled sale of cannabis in several Swiss regions. Similar studies are currently underway in Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Geneva, Lausanne and Bern.