In order to research the consequences of cannabis legalization, Switzerland will be the first nation in Europe to begin a cannabis sales pilot program.
The so-called “Weed Care” pilot program is expected to begin operations on September 15 and last for 2.5 years, or until March 2025. The program includes 370 participants who are headquartered in Basel, the third-most populous city in Switzerland.
Participants in the trial program must be at least 18 years old, be residents of Basel-Stadt Canton, and already use cannabis for adult purposes. Participants will be periodically questioned throughout the entire study on their use of cannabis, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing.
According to Regine Steinauer, head of the addiction department at Basel University, “the first study question is if consumption changes – whether more is consumed, less is consumed, or the same amount,” as quoted by Euronews. She continued by saying that the study would also look into whether cannabis use in pharmacies affects people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
After presenting their ID cards at one of the nine participating pharmacies, participants will be able to purchase two different types of hashish-based goods and four different varieties of cannabis products.
Pharmacies will charge between CHF 8 (about $8) and CHF 12 (roughly $12) per gram for cannabis-related products, based on the current going pricing on the black market. The Swiss firm Pure Production creates goods with various THC concentrations.
While the THC content of dried flowers ranges from 5% to 17%, that of hashish products is between 13% and 20%.
Participants can purchase packs of 5 grams of cannabis in pharmacies, but they can only consume it in private spaces.
Participants may purchase up to two packs per purchase because possessing up to 10 grams of cannabis is currently not illegal. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health claims (FOPH).
On April 19, FOPH approved the cannabis sales pilot program, which will be run in conjunction by the University of Basel, the University Psychiatric Clinics, and the Basel-Stadt Canton Department of Health.
The Basel-based cannabis selling pilot project is the first of its kind in the nation, according to a Facebook post by Lukas Engelberger, the medical head of Basel’s health department. However, comparable programs are being developed in other Swiss cities.
“I’m glad to hear that. Of course, given its risks and drawbacks, I would prefer if we never used cannabis. We must acknowledge that the current ban policy has not caused a decrease in consumption, though. Therefore, it is appropriate and crucial to test novel regulatory models “He composed.
A change to the Federal Narcotics Act went into effect on May 15, 2021, allowing Switzerland to conduct pilot studies on the restricted sale of cannabis for adult use, with some time and space restrictions.
Despite being prohibited, the FOPH projects that there are at least 200,000 adult-use cannabis users in the country who are actively using it.
Switzerland officially authorized the use of medical cannabis as of August 1, 2022, and permitted the export of medical cannabis products for commercial use.
According to research done by the University of Geneva and consultancy company EBP, the Swiss cannabis market has the potential to bring in CHF 1 billion (about $1 billion) annually.
