Repression is still on the decline: the numbers have fallen by around two thirds since the highs of 2015. After all the federal court rulings, many police forces have probably received new instructions and turned their attention to other things.

For 2020/21, we still assumed that the pandemic might have been a factor in prosecution because people simply spent less time outside in groups to consume the good herb or hash. Then, after the number of convictions for 2022 fell once again, we came to the conclusion that the pandemic could probably not explain this decline.

The federal court rulings on small quantities and the chronic overloading of police forces and public prosecutors' offices have probably taken a lot of the wind out of the sails of cannabis repression. In any case, the figures have continued to fall in 2023, both for contraventions (significantly) and for misdemeanor (slightly) – see graph on the following pages.

The next few years should be interesting – when will the low point be reached? Will the numerous pilot projects have a dampening effect? Do the repressive authorities in all cantons realize the futility of their actions?

Especially since 2015, seed orders have been fished out by customs every spring and forwarded to the local authorities – nothing has changed. Fortunately, however, the intensity of the prosecution in 2015 has never been even remotely matched. Although customs continue to report every hemp seeds envelope they find, the police are investing fewer resources in criminal prosecution (fewer house searches, written rather than personal interviews, prosecution mostly as contravention, rarely as misdemeanor).

However, depending on how you count it, there are still 20,000 reported crimes per year – or just nearly 55 per day. Low or not, these are still (too) many – especially now that our neighbor Germany is breaking new ground and we are looking across the border with interest and hoping for a better future in Switzerland too.

Contraventions represent the lower level of illegality. This involves the consumption of cannabis and the necessary preparatory acts (purchase, possession, cultivation, import, etc.). Contraventions are punished either with fixed penalty or with a fine and fees.

contraventions 2023 as PDF

Misdemeanors represent the higher level of illegality. This involves giving away or selling cannabis, i.e. passing it on. Misdemeanors are punished with a fine, fees, monetary penalty in daily rates or, in serious cases, with a prison sentence (conditional or unconditional).

misdemeanor 2023 as PDF