Cannabis pilot trials

The pilot projects are scientific studies designed to gain insights into the effects of the regulated use of cannabis for non-medical purposes.

The first cannabis pilot projects are currently underway in various Swiss cities. Basel-Stadt launched the first project at the end of January 2023. Since then, the city of Zurich has followed suit with “Züri Can” in August 2023 and there has been another project covering the canton of Zurich (including Zurich and Winterthur itself) since May 2024.

The results of the studies will then be incorporated into political developments (see parliamentary initiative). Until then, participants will enjoy access to legal cannabis flowers and hash from Swiss organic outdoor cultivation. In return, they fill out a questionnaire every six months about their consumption habits, state of health, etc.

Since mid-May 2021, the law article on cannabis pilot trials and the ordinance have come into force. Applications for pilot trials can now be submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

We run one of the 10 social clubs together with the city of Zurich, our Hanfstübli.

We have been selling study cannabis to participants since August 2023. We are also still accepting new study participants.

You can sign up for the study at hanfstueb.li!

Our map of all Swiss pilot projects

• Association Legalize it! Social Club: The varieties in the Hanfstübli
• Winter 2023/24: Association Legalize it! Social Club: The Hanfstübli takes off
• Fall 2023: Association Legalize it! Social Club: The Hanfstübli shortly before the start
• Summer 2023: Association Legalize it! Social Club in the making
• Cannabis sales: Green light for Bern, Lucerne and Biel
• City of Zurich cannabis project: Federal Office of Public Health grants approval
• Winter 2022/23: No Cannabis Social Club in 2022 yet: what happened?
• Basel pharmacies now have weed on sale - for the chosen few [German] (tagesanzeiger.ch, 30.01.2023)
• Bernese cantonal government rejects cannabis dispensary project [German] (bluewin.ch, 26.01.2023)
• Fall 2022: Cannabis pilot projects: Now it's getting concrete
• 2023 will be the Swiss hemp year [German] (derbund.ch, 6.10.2022)
• Organic directive prevents legal cannabis sale [German] (srf.ch, 23.9.2022)
• Due to poor quality: cannabis sales in pharmacies delayed [German] (telebasel.ch, 9.9.2022)
• Summer 2022: The pilot projects in the approval phase
• Radio SRF 1, «Regional Diagonal» from 2.7.22: Das Magazin – Zürich sucht Leute fürs legale Kiffen (until 3:22 Min.)
• Winter 2021/22: Further steps towards a cannabis social club
• Original documents and links can be found on the overview page of the FOPH (text of the law, text of the ordinance, explanatory report).
• A pilot project for cannabis social clubs?
• Winter 20/21: Cannabis pilot testing ahead of implementation
• Tagesanzeiger of January 18, 2021: In the city of Zurich will soon be sold legally weed
• Watson, March 31, 2021: Federal Council approves cannabis pilot trials starting in May
• Here you can find the history of the completed parliamentary deliberations: Business 19.021 on parlament.ch
• "Attitude legalization and regulation cannabis" by Sotomo on behalf of the FOPH.
• Olten - Cannabis pilot trial goes into the next round (July 8, 2022).

Since 2005 there have been many discussions whether experimental projects with actually prohibited hemp (1% THC and more) should and could be carried out. Now the parliamentary consultations on this have been concluded in September 2020.

You can find our articles on the amendment of NarcA from the last years here.