Cannabis: the Federal Council wants to allow pilot tests

The Federal Council wants to innovate in the regulation of cannabis. (Image: Warren Toda / Epa / AP)

fsr. Cannabis is not only a pleasure, but also a cure, notes the Federal Council in its communication Wednesday. He therefore wants to design the legal framework so that the opportunities and risks of narcotics can be taken into account adequately. He sent a proposal for consultation until October 25th.

On the one hand, the proposal provides that scientific studies may be conducted to examine new regulatory models for recreational purposes. This in the context that today in Switzerland more than 200 000 people do it regularly, although consumption is punishable. At the same time, the black market is booming and consumer safety is not guaranteed. The corresponding pilot experiments should be strictly limited in time and space, the number of participants should be limited and minors excluded

Last November, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) Had not approved because there is no place for consumption for consumption purposes. This has meant a setback for Swiss cities, which have been trying for years to get the dormant cannabis debate moving.

The second proposal of the Federal Council states that cannabis can be used more and more for medical purposes. According to the report, about 3,000 patients were treated in Switzerland in 2017 – often elderly or with incurable diseases such as multiple sclerosis or terminal cancer. Medical cannabis can relieve the pain of those affected if other treatments have failed, they say. Today, such treatments require an exemption, which delays the use of the drug and makes access difficult. The Federal Council therefore wants to lift the ban on marketing medicinal cannabis. In addition, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) should consider the question of whether health insurance should pay the costs.