Switzerland’s Marijuana Legalization Pilot Program Is ‘Running Smoothly’ With ‘No Indication’ Of Public Disturbances, Government Report Finds

Switzerland’s adult-use marijuana legalization pilot program is “running smoothly,” with “no indication of any disturbances to public order,” a government-commissioned report finds as lawmakers are considering legislation to broadly end cannabis prohibition across the country.

About two years after the pilot program launched in seven municipalities across the country, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) study—carried out by the University of Lausanne and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland—generally determined that the initiative has been a success.

The study involved an analysis of different regulatory models that include for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations distributing cannabis for adult use.

Researchers said that for-profit companies promoted their products more heavily, whereas non-profit groups “focused more on health and youth protection, with strict advertising restrictions,” according to a translation.

“It is found that a for-profit approach tends to encourage consumption, which even a strict ban on advertising does little to prevent,” FOPH said. “The analysis also concludes that the cities involved in the pilot projects have acquired a great deal of implementation knowledge, which should be taken into account in the context of new cannabis regulation.”

“The results presented are still limited, as the trials are only just beginning. Due to the short duration of the observation period, it is not yet possible, in particular, to draw conclusions regarding the effects on consumption,” it said, adding that a second report is expected to be released by the end of the year.

Overall, the initial report found “no disturbances around sales points” and noted that police have “collaborated well and supported the trials, focusing on more pressing drug-related issues.”

Cannabis consumers who were involved in the pilot program generally had previously established histories of using marijuana, it determined. And “some destigmatization was observed, especially in pharmacies and social clubs.”

“The trials provide valuable evidence for Swiss cannabis policy discussions,” the report, which was noted earlier by Business of Cannabis, said, while adding that “political timelines may not align with the slow process of gathering scientific data.”

As far as policy discussions are concerned, a legislative committee in Switzerland recently gave preliminary approval to a plan that would broadly legalize and regulate adult access to marijuana in the country. The proposal would bar for-profit sales, however, and impose a tax on cannabis products.

Approval by the committee is an early stage in the legislative process.

“The next step is an explanatory report on the preliminary draft so that the commission can examine these documents in the summer,” the commission noted. Interested parties will also be given an opportunity to provide comment at that point.

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.