No cannabis for scientific studies, says parliament
The Swiss parliament has rejected a motion to allow the use of cannabis in scientific studies investigating the drug’s effects. Opponents saw the motion as a back-door path towards liberalization.
After a narrow victory at the committee stage, the motion was rejected on Monday in the House of Representatives by another slim margin: 96 votes to 93, with two abstentions.
The conservative-right Swiss People’s Party and centrist Christian Democrats voted en masse against the idea, which they saw as an implicit route towards liberalising cannabis consumption.
Supporters of the project, which aimed to make cannabis available for academic studies about the effects of prescribed versions of the drug, had claimed that it would allow for a better understanding of possible health and social problems.
The vote comes after a November 2017 federal decision to block a University of Bern study – requested by the city’s authorities – into possible effects of the regulated sale of cannabis in pharmacies.
At the time, the Federal Office of Public Health (despite not rejecting the project in principle) said the request could not be granted as “current drugs legislation does not allow the use of cannabis for non-medical reasons […] For such a study to be permitted, the law would have to be supplemented by a special legal provision for scientific pilot projects,” it wrote.
Monday’s decision thus eliminated the possibility, for now, of such a legal provision being enacted.
Growing, consuming and dealing cannabis are all forbidden in Switzerland. In 2008, almost two-thirds of Swiss voters rejected a people’s initiative calling for the decriminalisation of consumption.
Meanwhile, legal cannabis has become a flourishing business in Switzerland since it a 2011 decision to let adults buy and use cannabis with up to 1% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the active ingredient that gets smokers high.
More
More
How legal cannabis is changing Switzerland
This content was published on
What effect is CBD having on the Swiss economy and the legal system?
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
‘Swiss marijuana champion’ finds new markets with ‘cannabis light’
This content was published on
There’s decaffeinated coffee, alcohol-free beer, and now marijuana that doesn’t make you high. A producer reveals the hidden side of the market.
Legal marijuana could earn millions for Swiss state
This content was published on
Some 130 firms have registered with the Swiss federal authorities to sell legal pot that could generate CHF30 million ($30.2 million) in revenue.
This content was published on
In Switzerland, 15% of 15-year-old boys and 9% of girls said they had used cannabis in the past 30 days, according to the WHO studyExternal link, based on data from 42 countries from 2014. Switzerland was pipped by young stoners from France (16% of boys) and was level with Italy (15% of boys). In addition,…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.