This European City Wants To Legalize Marijuana, New Trial Launches This Summer

The Swiss government is considering legalization of recreational cannabis use and sales in Zurich as part of a new trial set to launch this summer, reported CNBC.

The latest move builds on a 2021 amendment to the Federal Narcotics Act that came into effect in Switzerland, allowing pilot trials involving dispensing cannabis for non-medicinal purposes. It also comes on the heels of other European countries taking closer consideration to their cannabis regulations, like Germany.

New Marijuana Trial

Under the Swiss experimental program, which will be conducted in partnership with the University of Zurich, a group of 2,100 Zurich residents will be permitted to purchase cannabis for personal use in one of many city’s pharmacies, dispensaries and social clubs.

Participants will take a questionnaire every six months to track their consumption habits and health effects.

The goal is to examine how the legalization of recreational cannabis relates to “promoting individual and public health and safety.”

“The idea is to get robust real-world evidence that serves policymaking for new [national] regulation on cannabis,” Barbara Burri, project manager at Zurich’s municipal health department, said. The results will be published regularly starting next year. 

Cannabis In Switzerland

Meanwhile, the largest city in Switzerland has been at the forefront of the legalization wave in the country. The first CBD Spa in Europe was inaugurated at the foot of the Matterhorn Mountain in the Swiss Alps nearly a year ago.

As of August 2022, medical cannabis became legal nationwide allowing patients to obtain medical marijuana through a simple prescription from their doctor. Before medical cannabis was legalized, patients had to apply to the Federal Office of Public Health.

Companies Taking Advantage Of New Regulatory Landscape

Khiron Life Sciences Corp. KHRN KHRNF (FRA: A2JMZC), a global medical cannabis company with core operations in Latin America and Europe, was among the first to jump on the opportunity when it entered the market in November with the initial sale of new products and increased its product offerings in Germany and UK.

Alpen Group Inc. is another operator flourishing in the newly established market. Born in  the foothills of the Swiss Alps, the Alpen Group is a multi-country operator (MCO) with end-to-end cultivation, genetics, extraction and distribution operations in Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Canada.

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Photo: Benzinga edit of images by Henrique Ferreira and 2H Media on Unsplash