Beginning August 1, patients will be able to receive medical cannabis through a medical prescription. Before the new legislation, medical marijuana patients had to submit a request to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Swiss federal government’s center for public health.
To get medical cannabis legalized in the country, Switzerland’s Federal Council lifted the ban on cannabis for medical purposes through the Swiss Narcotics Act approved by Parliament in March 2021.
The Federal Council
in the country by stating that the demand for authorizations has increased in recent years. Unfortunately, this created a considerable administrative burden and slowed down medical treatment.According to the SWI, the FOPH issued over
for patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis or neurological diseases in 2019. Although, this figure excluded patients who received cannabis from the illegal market.Expanding the Medical Cannabis Industry
Although the Federal Council
, it only allows products containing high levels of CBD with less than 1 percent THC, which is the set amount for the hemp industry, while cannabis for recreational purposes is still considered illegal.But, Switzerland is starting a trial program for adult-use cannabis, intending to provide information to regulate marijuana in the entire country by selling adult-use cannabis products in Basel to around 400 volunteers (nice gig, right?).
Back in June, the
published a study estimating that the economic impact of legalization in the country would generate an annual turnover of around $1 billion and create and provide approximately 4,400 full-time jobs, while another that the national cannabis market to be worth up to $520 million.Switzerland’s CBD Market
In terms of economics, the legalization of medical cannabis would bring advantages to a large number of CBD companies in the country as they will be able to export CBD products with a THC level of up to 1 percent.
The CBD industry has gained popularity in Switzerland in recent years as it is not subject to the Narcotics Act because it does not produce any psychoactive effects. However, the Swiss Association of Cantonal Chemists warned in February that
in the amount of THC contained in CBD products and exceed the legal limits.By legalizing medical cannabis, Switzerland is looking to receive proper regulation to allow access to medical treatment with cannabis products and, at the same time, protect the population from the illegal cannabis market in the nation, which has widely supplied medical cannabis users for many years.
Further, the trial program for adult-use cannabis sales could convince the legislators to legalize cannabis for recreational use in the country.
Switzerland has proved to have a forward-thinking approach by establishing its drug policy throughout the years. However, this legalization process is the latest step that outlines a new trend taking over Europe regarding policies on cannabis.
In recent years, several European countries have tried to regulate marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes as a new solution to protect public health and fight against legal sales. Currently,
seems to be the only country working to legalize adult-use cannabis sales at this point.The current situation of medical cannabis in Europe is still broken into pieces. Still, even craziness is the legal status of adult-use marijuana, which differs from country to country. Some countries have fully implemented their legislation on medical cannabis. However, others suffer from a lack of supply and other issues that hinder the full implementation.
With this information, the legalization of medical cannabis in Switzerland and the creation of an export market may help some European countries meet the demand of medical cannabis patients.