It’s all about health protection

It is a fact that cannabis is consumed. The psychoactive substance is by no means harmless. Consumed intensively over a long period, it can lead to mental, social and physical problems.This is why it is worth considering how the consumption of cannabis can be made less risky and how we can mitigate the negative consequences for society as far as possible.

Cannabis is being legalised in a growing number of countries. Switzerland is also asking itself how it can best manage the controlled use of cannabis. How much regulation do we need? How can controlled access to safe products be ensured without stimulating consumption? What level of THC and what form of consumption should be deemed acceptable? What lessons can be derived from the regulation of alcohol and tobacco? What alternatives to commercial sales of cannabis are viable?

The pilot projects that have been launched in Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, Liestal, Bern, Biel and Lucerne are intend- ed to provide answers to precisely these questions. They will show what impact controlled access to cannabis has on consumption, purchasing habits and users’ health and which measures find acceptance. In this way they will contribute substantially to making discussion of the right steps towards legalisation more objective and provide scientific backing for possible cannabis legislation of the kind called for by a parliamentary initiative. This is a unique opportunity. Let’s seize it!