Switzerland Launches Cannabis Study With 7.5k Participants & More Pot Updates In Europe

Over the last several years, Europe has become more open-minded about medical and recreational marijuana. Here are some of the latest cannabis developments from Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Switzerland: The Country's Largest Cannabis Study To Date Launches In Zurich 

The Canton of Zurich is launching Switzerland's largest marijuana study to date, which is being financed by donations. The research budget is close to $1.69 million, reported SwissInfo.

The University of Zurich and the Federal Technology Institute ETH Zurich are taking part in the research on cannabis use that will involve 7,500 participants. The study is expected to run for five years, during which time marijuana will be allowed for recreational use.

The goal is to examine cannabis regulations by Paul-Lukas Good, president of the association Swiss Cannabis Research, which is responsible for the project.

Andreas Beerli, head of research from the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich, added that the research will concentrate on social and economic consequences for the test subjects, for example, to review whether legal marijuana can have a positive effect on health and education, or if it has negative consequences such as an increase in consumption.

Germany: Health Minister Fights Against Possible Cannabis Legalization Delays 

Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is working hard to prevent possible delays of cannabis legalization law, reported Euractiv.

At the beginning of March, following Germany's recent partial cannabis legalization, Justice Ministers from various states joined together to push for postponing its enactment from April 1 to October.

On Monday, Lauterbach said he would be lobbying all week to prevent the bill from being referred to the mediation committee in the Bundesrat this Friday. "Then we would lose the unique opportunity to reform the failed cannabis policy here. In my view, that would be a triumph for the black market," Lauterbach said.

The Czech Republic: Government To Weigh In On Two Cannabis Bills

The Czech Republic's anti-drug coordinator, Jindřich Vobořil prepared two separate cannabis bills – one that would fully regulate the commercial market and one without, reported Business of Cannabis. This measure will be submitted to the government in the upcoming weeks. 

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