Swiss parliament and citizens voted against cannabis legalisation in 2004 and 2008 respectively. A few years later, some cities asked for local cannabis sales studies to evaluate an alternative to prohibition. In 2021, an article allowing such studies was added to the narcotics law and first trials started in 2023. In parallel, in line with international developments, the Swiss parliament is developing a law to legalise and regulate cannabis in the future.
Federal authorities have defined the purpose and content of local cannabis trials. In essence, a few thousand adults already using the drug can access controlled cannabis locally for a few years. The model differs between projects with cannabis sales made in pharmacies, user clubs, private shops, etc. While the initial projects were initiated by local authorities, private players increasingly use the trials for branding purposes or for taking market shares in view of a future legalisation. Such players include companies having the tobacco or the alcohol industry among their shareholders.
In opposition to this trend, the project of the city of Lausanne (Cann-L) has been designed to test and promote a not for profit and non-commercial sales model for a future cannabis legalisation. Such an approach is unusual in very liberal Switzerland, but the pilot trials provide an opportunity to test and promote a model that makes cannabis available without selling and promoting it like alcohol, tobacco, or medicines. The presentation will review the dynamics of the local trials and present first findings of Cann-L.