Spring 2022: Next policy steps: Approvals, easements

We're seeing small, slow steps: Cannabis pilot projects have been legally possible since last year. Now the first applications are being submitted: will there be permits for them? The facilitations for medical hemp have already been decided and will soon come into force.

First projects before approval

For a maximum of ten years (until May 2031), pilot trials with cannabis delivery can be carried out. Soon, the first of these years will be over. In 2022, the first projects will now be submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) for approval. For example, the city of Zurich study. We are very excited to see what the approval will look like! Because we would like to run a social club as part of this city study. There are also other cities/cantons that want to run a pilot project, what about them? We have put together a map with the available info on this and will keep it updated. We hope that there will be such trials in other places as well. The first decision of the FOPH will probably clarify what exactly will be possible.

Facilitation before introduction

The amendment to the law on facilitating the use of cannabis medicines has, after all, already been decided and the consultation period for the associated ordinances has also expired at the end of November 2021. Now the consultation report still has to be published, after which the new regulations can enter into force. According to the FOPH, this is expected to be the case in summer 2022.

Medical cannabis

Real decriminalization?

The Commission for Social Security and Health of the National Council may now consider general facilitations in dealing with cannabis. So this is not about limited pilot projects or medical hemp, but about general recreational use. This undertaking is likely to drag on for several years. The question is whether the pilot projects have to go through first or whether legal texts are already being drafted and discussed in parallel. The Federal Council would actually like to discuss this further only from 2031… We hope that the commission will move forward faster.

Parliamentary initiative