Switzerland Will Hold Cannabis Trials To Examine Impact Of Legalization

Back in 2011, Switzerland legalized hemp with 1% of THC or less and also decriminalized the possession of 10 grams or less of regular, high-THC cannabis, but this isn’t the final step towards national legalization for the forward-thinking country.

Switzerland’s government agency in charge of public health and welfare recently suggested that the country should not ban cannabis any longer; instead, the plant should be thoroughly regulated. After the announcement, the National Council stated that they are currently creating the framework for an integrated medical and recreational infrastructure, according to High Times.

We should expect to see the cannabis industry take off within the country’s largest and capital city, Zurich. There are various challenges that a country has to face in order to legalize cannabis, which has so far been achieved by only three countries being Uraguay, Canada, and recently, Luxembourg. To help efface these challenges, Switzerland will run a series of studies with up to 5,000 participants. Those who participate in said studies (all held in different cities) will have to prove that they are already cannabis users, which shouldn’t be difficult.

As of now, roughly one-third of Switzerland’s population admitted to smoking cannabis at some point in their lives, whereas 200,000 adults confessed that they were regular users. The studies noted above will be conducted city-by-city and will examine both the economic impacts of the cannabis industry and the impact of recreational cannabis sales in local markets. The study’s participants will be allowed to purchase their cannabis from both social clubs and pharmacies.

Other than the excitement of a new European country on track to legalizing cannabis, the Swiss trial is also important for a few reasons. First, the trials and studies will promote a national and domestic cultivation market that includes the recreational use of THC products. Second, the venture is expected to inspire other European countries to follow.

These countries that could follow in Switzerland’s footsteps will definitely include trade partners in the DACH trading region; Austria and Germany. Since Luxembourg recently became the first European country to legalize cannabis, Switzerland will act as another friendly outlier in terms of the continent’s cannabis legalization. So it looks like the new Swiss trials won’t just be helping cannabis reform domestically but internationally.

With hope that these trials will be effective and lead the country to national legalization, experiments like this could help Europe move in the right direction as a leading cannabis market.