Zurich legalizes cannabis consumption and sales in pilot project

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Swiss federal government’s public health agency, approved the City of Zurich’s «Züri Can – Cannabis with Responsibility,» which aims to launch a pilot program for the consumption and sale of cannabis, scheduled to begin this summer.

The study, a collaboration between the Zurich City Council and the University Hospital of Zurich, will examine how participants’ consumption and health are affected by the purchase of selected cannabis products sourced from controlled crops under regulated conditions, in order to provide relevant information on the best way to treat cannabis.

Zurich is the second Swiss city to participate in the pilot program aimed at studying the effects of cannabis legalization in Switzerland. The first trial, which involves about 400 participants, was launched in the city of Basel.

3,000 participants in this legalization experiment

Up to 3,000 residents of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, will be able to purchase specified amounts of cannabis for personal use as part of a three-year program set to begin this summer. In exchange, they will be required to complete a questionnaire every six months about their usage habits and health status.

Just as on the various Pilot legalization programs in Switzerland, only individuals over the age of 18 who already use cannabis may participate in the program, with the exception of pregnant women and professional drivers.

Participants in the pilot program will be able to purchase cannabis at pharmacies, specialized dispensaries, or Cannabis Social Clubs located throughout the city of Zurich. A total of 21 cannabis retail locations are expected to be available and begin sales in August 2023.

Legal cannabis sold in Basel (Switzerland)

Prices for cannabis-based products will be regulated and set at the black market price. A variety of cannabis flowers—with varying concentrations of THC and CBD—and resins will be legally available and must be produced organically by licensed Swiss companies.

After obtaining government approval, Pure Production AG and Swissextract, the two producers, can begin growing the cannabis plants needed for the study. The first harvest is expected to take place in July 2023, while hashish-based products—which take longer to produce and require more complex processing—are expected to be available in the second half of October 2023.