Switzerland's Cannabis Industry Test Drive
Rob Sanchez
Interesting news from Switzerland this week as they take the next steps towards cannabis legalization. They’re planning a more controlled experiment to take the cannabis industry for a test drive, which is something we haven’t seen done yet. Before we get into that, let’s look at the history of cannabis in Switzerland.
There are roots back in the 19th century where the plant was used for some common ailments and issues similar to other European countries that adapted around the plant after it had made its way over through things like the silk road and nomadic movements. As the 19th century started, they began to regulate cannabis further. In 1951, the Federal Narcotics Act was passed which classified cannabis as a narcotic, illegal to possess and distribute.
In the 90s, Switzerland began to move toward decriminalization. Officially decriminalizing cannabis for personal use in 1994. This expanded to include the legal medical use with a valid prescription. This push in the 90s led to the formation and founding of the Swiss Cannabis Association (SCA) as an advocacy group they promote cannabis use for rec and medical purposes and have been pushing the envelope for legalization and regulation since then.
Also in the 90s, Bernard (Hanfbauer) Rappaz got his start as a cannabis cultivator and inevitably jailed distributor spending 11 years in prison. He has a wicked mullet and stache which only adds to the persona, he could probably be the subject of his own article. His passion and activism has helped to bring attention to cannabis and inspired many. He went on a 70+ day hunger strike while imprisoned, which didn’t help much. I looked, but I can’t determine if he’s still in prison to this day. The dude needs a cultivar named after him at the very least and the reverence of his Swiss countryman at most.
In the early 2000s, more progress was made where the personal cultivation of cannabis began to be “tolerated” by the Swiss government. This ruling allowed adults to cultivate up to 4 plants as long as they do not distribute or sell it and do not use dangerous chemicals in cultivation. The same old government issue exists here where personal cultivation may be tolerated, while possession, sale and distribution are illegal. Nonetheless, this moved the needle drastically and gave way to cannabis events, festivals and a thriving Swiss Cannabis community.
The Green Party proposed a legalization bill in 2016 that didn’t pass. Then in 2017, a member of the Swiss parliament, named Franziska Krig, proposed a recreational cannabis bill that was rejected. The Swiss Medical Cannabis Association (SMCA) was also founded in 2017 to promote better access and support for patients in need of medical cannabis. The legalization status has been pushed hard within the country giving rise to the new socio-economic experiment being run in Zurich.
This year (2023) Switzerland has given the greenlight to a three year program that would legalize the possession and consumption of cannabis within Zurich only to assess the social and economic impacts. As a product manager running tiny experiments constantly, I can appreciate this approach from a governing body. There will be a test group of 2,100 Zurich residents that will be allowed to purchase regulated cannabis for personal use from pharmacies, clubs and dispensaries.
Participants in the study will have access to varying potencies of products including THC and/or CBD. They’re doing it right by organically producing the flower and enforcing lab testing procedures like the states in the US. The cultivators creating the product for the experiment are Pure Production AG and Swissextract. Their first harvests for the program will be ready for sale in July and cannabis concentrates are planned for October.
It’s a cool approach for the government and Swiss citizens to learn more about the impacts of legalization before enabling it on a wide scale. Zurich is the most populated city there with over 400 thousand people and ~13 thousand who use cannabis regularly. Other cities will have the same pilot programming rolling out soon like Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Biel Thun, Olten and Winterthur. The Swiss will be smoking and the world will be watching. These types of pilot programs may allow governments to test the water without losing complete control of the industry, and they’ll help educate citizens and consumers along the way.