Information from Association Legalize it! (February 2025)

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The draft law for a new approach to cannabis will be available in the summer. We will then be able to see the exact wording and read the explanatory report. The consultation process will probably take place in the fall, followed by parliamentary deliberations.

There will be a number of toads to swallow with this proposal and despite this, it is not certain that the proposals will find a majority: Be it in parliament (National Council and Council of States) or in the population (referendum vote).

We have started a “Politics” group, which is working on arguments, public relations work and the preparation of our consultation response and wants to support the political process. If you would like to join us, please get in touch.

Our next members' meeting on March 14 is also dedicated to the topic of politics/public relations. We will look together at where our collection of arguments stands, how we can comment on articles more quickly and work more closely with the media.

So, it's going to be an interesting year! Sure, it will be exhausting, there is a lot of work to do - but it will certainly be a very interesting year…

Do you need a new vaporizer? Or fresh CBD flowers? We ask you to consider our company members when making your purchases: You can find the list here. In addition to our private members and donors, corporate members are an important part of our Association.

Today we sent the PDF of Legalize it! issue 105 to the printers, we will pack it up at the beginning of March and it will arrive with our members on March 12/13. It contains the annual report and the annual financial statements for 2024, as well as the invitation to our Annual General Meeting on April 25, 2025.

At the end of the week, the National Council's Social Security and Health Committee discussed the work of its sub-committee on cannabis regulation. All the details are not yet clear, but the media release does give some indication of what will be in the preliminary draft.

Of course, we would like to see much more: a truly liberal approach. The bill contains a lot of restrictions and overly cautious provisions. This is not liberal cannabis legislation.

But we understand the fears of the population. We see that after decades of prohibition, after all the fears, small steps are needed to win majorities. That is why we support this compromise and will also campaign for it.

We also have to make many compromises in the pilot projects that we don't like. Be it in the dispensaries or as study participants. We are adhering to the restrictive regulations. This is feasible, even if we don't think it's great.

In any case, restrictive decriminalization is also better than this black market, which functions without tests, without product safety and channels money into dubious pockets. We definitely don't want that anymore.

We have been running our Hanfstübli, a cannabis social club, for 1.5 years as part of the “Züri Can” pilot project. As part of this project, we are allowed to legally sell around a dozen tested varieties weed and hash to interested parties from the city of Zurich. Over 120 study participants are now entitled to purchase from us.

We have now reached the halfway point of the project, which is currently scheduled to run until October 2026. Of course, we hope that there will be an extension, but this will require coordination and agreement between many political and administrative bodies.

In any case, we have already experienced a lot and have been able to investigate many questions. For example, some varieties seem to be much better suited to commercial cultivation outdoors (or in a greenhouse indoors). Then the flowers differ in their appearance in terms of moisture or trimming accuracy. It took many trials and improvements before the consistency of hash was right, because the legal limit of 20 % THC poses a particular challenge for hash.

So we saw what works well, what doesn't work so well, what the participants say about the products and how they develop over the years. This is really concrete, not just theory! We were also able to exchange many experiences on alternatives to smoking (vaporize, food). Because even if legalization were to come: Harm reduction will be an important pillar of it.

Make a note now: In four months the Buds and Beats Festival will take place! On May 31, this event will celebrate its premiere in Hall 622 in Zurich-Oerlikon - where the legendary hemp fair “CannaTrade” took place in recent years.

This unique cannabis festival invites visitors to discover and enjoy the many facets of the hemp plant. On an area of over 3,000 m², guests can expect a varied experience with different “zones”:
The CBD Zone presents the variety of CBD flowers, hash and cosmetics, while the Smoking Zone provides the right accessories for enjoyment. In the music zone, live acts and DJs from hip-hop and electronica will provide the right beats. In the Medical Zone, visitors can learn all about medical applications, while the Pilot Project Zone provides information on legal sources of supply as part of pilot projects.
The Grow Zone provides interesting facts about cultivation and in the Hemp Zone, visitors can explore the many uses of hemp in food, clothing and sustainable products.
There will also be a spacious open-air chill-out area with a wide range of culinary delights. Plus the Game, Beach, Vape'n'Dab, Wellness and Talk zones - everything a hemp heart could desire!

Get your tickets early - it's worth it!

• Cannabis is still illegal, even if law enforcement agencies are no longer working on it with the same vigor as they did a few years ago prosecution. Nevertheless, the Narcotics Act is a very tough law. We have posted some documents on prosecution from the year 2024.
• The Social Security and Health Commission will discuss a new approach to cannabis on February 13. Its sub-commission has been working with the administration for three years to draft a law on cannabis products.
• Our first members' meeting in 2025 will take place on February 14. The topic will be political developments: What is in the pipeline? What do we think is good, what is bad? How can we support the process?
• Our club meeting will take place on April 25. Members are welcome to register. We will publish the annual report and the annual financial statements in the next Legalize it 105, which is now being laid out and will be sent out at the beginning of March.

Our members are currently receiving the latest issue 104 of our magazine Legalize it!
The winter issue contains the conclusion of our information event and its topics: Legalization (How can this succeed?), Hemp culture (For considered enjoyment!), prosecution (Legal possibilities) and pilot projects (Legal findings). The complete magazine will be available as a PDF from March.
Become a member so that you are always up to date (e.g. also by e-mail) - in this way you make our activities possible and support Association. Legalize it!

We have also published another issue of our magazine Legalize it pdfized. The Issue 103 is now available for download both as a whole and as individual articles in the Justice, Culture and Scene sections. The current issue (#104) is still reserved for our members.

Hemp greetings

Fabian, Markus, Michael and Sven

Board Association Legalize it!

P.S. If you would like to support us with a donation: You can find all the options here.