Switzerland Trials Legal Recreational Cannabis
Last month the Swiss National Council announced its decision to trial legal recreational cannabis in specific districts in the country. Switzerland’s health commission in the lower house of the Federal Council approved the pilot program by a 17-8 vote. This unprecedented bill was made in March, but the announcement and vote was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Big cities such as Geneva, Basel, and the capital Bern have all expressed that they are ready and willing to be involved.
The strategy is a world first, and probably the most careful entry into cannabis legalisation thus far, but there is a sound rationale to the slow and steady approach. The National Council aims to deeply understand cannabis consumer behaviour, how to combat the blackmarket, and the social effects of recreational cannabis on society as a whole. This means full legalisation will depend on the findings of the trial. "The models must be tested before starting the debate on whether or not to liberalise cannabis" said Pierre-Yves Maillard of the Social Democrats, who is heading up the project.
Simon Anderfuhren-Biget, a Swiss drug policy expert told Marijuana Business Daily that this “scientific process is expected to last five years, which could be extended two more, and the evidence collected from it is supposed to provide scientific arguments for a national debate on the opportunity to legally regulate cannabis for adult consumers.” This means a nation-wide legalisation could potentially not occur until after 2030, however in practice the Swiss political system could easily speed this process up if it is deemed appropriate. The advantages of such a slow and scientific approach are obvious; legalisation can be implemented with full confidence and there will be no nasty surprises to deal with. However the disadvantages of allowing the black market to rule for another 5-10 years are also great, especially in a country where recreational cannabis use is so prevalent - an estimated 220,000 people regularly and recreationally consume cannabis in Switzerland according to the National Council.
The Minister of Health Alain Berset has said if it is ever fully legalised, cannabis must follow strict regulations, including being grown organically and locally - supporting the local economy, infrastructure and swiss farmers - even though he admits that there is a significant lack of experience and expertise. However there is plenty of time and resources to fill this knowledge gap.
Switzerland has always been on the forefront of the world’s CBD industry, allowing the legal production and sale of cannabis with upto 1% THC since 2017, which is distributed via the country’s tobacco shops. Now it hopes to slowly catch up with other countries who have opened the doors for more THC-friendly legislation. Although the current framework could mean at least another 10 years till we see real change, the likelihood is that a positive trial would speed up the process massively - as a non-member of the EU Switzerland is not bound by the EU regulations which gives it independence in the European setting.