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Basel-Stadt wants to carry out a cannabis study with 400 stoners. Zurich and Bern are also doing experiments with the drug.
From late summer, 400 stoners in Basel can officially buy THC in pharmacies instead of on the black market. This is made possible by a pilot test for which Basel-Stadt received the green light from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), as the canton announced on Tuesday.
The users of this illegal drug are selected by the Basel City Health Department, the University Psychiatric Clinics in Basel and the University of Basel. They are conducting the cannabis pilot test. A change in the law in May last year made trials of the illegal drug possible in Switzerland.
We are looking for adults who are already using cannabis. Baselland, Bern, St. Gallen and Zurich are other places that have at least expressed an interest in such an attempt. So far, however, only Basel has been awarded the contract. Zurich and Bern have also submitted applications and hope to start in the fall. However, there is resistance in Bern, where several ideas involving cannabis trials are being discussed.
Investigate pleasure consumption
The participants in the study can obtain their substance from selected pharmacies and consume it at home. “From a purely health perspective, no consumption would be best,” admits Lavinia Flückiger, co-leader of the study. Although cannabis is banned, “cannabis consumption has remained at a high level for years,” Flückiger continues, which is why the issue is being addressed.
It is not a medical use of cannabis that is examined, but explicitly the consumption of pleasure. “Therefore, no medical transfer is required for the experiment,” says Flückiger.
The aim of the study is to find out whether it has an impact on consumption and the health of consumers if they can buy the drug in a controlled manner – i.e. substance that is not contaminated and for which they do not have to go to the black market. The experiment is designed for 2.5 years.
The experiments required a change in the law, which came into force in May 2021. In Switzerland, it is illegal to grow, import, manufacture or sell cannabis.
“Despite the ban, consumption is widespread, the black market is flourishing and the safety of consumers is not guaranteed,” the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) explains the interest in the cannabis studies for “non-medical consumption”, i.e. stimulants Cannabis.