Lausanne is the latest Swiss city – after Basel and Zurich – to receive approval to launch a pilot project to sell cannabis for recreational use as part of a study into the impact of its regulated supply.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/RTS/sb
Español
es
Lausana da luz verde para un ensayo sobre fumar marihuana con fines recreativos
The Lausanne project for the legal sale of cannabis, known as Cann-L, has received the green light from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the city authorities saidExternal link on Tuesday.
The western city joins Basel (started in 2022) and Zurich (approved in March 2023), whose projects have also been validated by the health office.
The scientific project is intended to study the impact of regulated cannabis supply on the consumption and health of consumers, as well as its impact on the illegal market.
“After the cantonal ethics commission, the FOPH authorisation marks a major step for our project,” said Emilie Moeschler, Lausanne’s city councillor in charge of social cohesion, in a statement.
The city authorities and its partner, the NGO Addiction Suisse, hope to find around 1,200 people who use cannabis and live in Lausanne to take part in the pilot study. It has been reported that 2,000 people have already expressed an interest on the project’s website.
Cannabis products will be for “personal consumption and in the private sphere”, insist the Lausanne authorities.
The “local and organic” cultivation of cannabis plants can now begin. The first harvest will take place this summer, followed by its preparation. The cannabis sales point, which is not yet known, should open in September.
Growing, consuming and dealing cannabis are all forbidden in Switzerland. But since 2013 anyone caught in possession of up to ten grams of cannabis will receive a fixed CHF100 ($101) fine and not have it put on their criminal record.
One-third of the Swiss population has admitted to smoking cannabis at some point, while some 200,000 smoke regularly.
In 2008, almost two-thirds of Swiss voters rejected an initiative to decriminalise cannabis for personal consumption; it was the second national vote on the issue in a decade.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Ex-sect member sentenced in Zurich for sexual abuse
This content was published on
Zurich District Court has sentenced a former member of the globally active sect "Children of God" to a partial prison sentence.
SNB chairman does not rule out slowdown in Swiss growth
This content was published on
Martin Schlegel, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), does not rule out a weakening of the Swiss economy in light of the tariff dispute.
Swiss NGOs abroad to receive 10% less federal funding
This content was published on
In 2025 and 2026, Swiss NGOs will have 10% less federal funding available for international cooperation than in the previous two-year period.
Swiss parties spent less than CHF1 million on February green vote
This content was published on
Swiss political parties spent CHF 700,000 ($840,000) on campaigns in the run-up to the overwhelmingly defeated vote on February 9, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
This content was published on
Swisswool, the largest Swiss wool processor, is not accepting any wool for the first time this spring. For many sheep farmers, the only option is to get rid of the wool.
No punishment for minors with small amounts of cannabis
This content was published on
In publishing its precedent decision on Thursday, the Federal Court in Lausanne cleared up any lingering confusion around differences in treatment between adults and minors – no distinction should be made, judges ruled. Referring to the case of a 16-year-old collared in Winterthur with 1.4 grams of cannabis, the court dismissed the appeal of the…
This content was published on
Producing and selling hemp inflorescences with low THC content has been legal in Switzerland since 2017. But the market hasn't been a gold mine.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.