Switzerland To Legalize Recreational And Medical Cannabis Usage

ZURICH– The Swiss government proposed this week to allow prescriptions for cannabis to treat people suffering from cancer or other serious conditions.

Cultivation, trade and consumption of cannabis will no longer be banned in Switzerland following the conclusions of a Swiss government health panel. The panel evaluation cannabis said the laws should be changed, Swiss news outlet Blick reported on Tuesday. 9 of the body’s 11 representatives voting in favor.

Blick reported the Health Commission of the Council of States (their house of congress), said cannabis should be regulated in Switzerland in order to control the “cannabis market for better youth and consumer protection”.

The aim is to eliminate the black market for the drug in Switzerland. A draft law will now be drawn up in Swiss parliament.

Importantly, it appears that not only will medical use be allowed, but recreational use will also be approved.

Other rules, for instance how individuals can cultivate and produce cannabis for personal use, as well as taxation issues, will be laid out as part of the legal effort.

A formal comment period runs until mid-October.

Just how insurers will handle reimbursement for medical cannabis prescriptions will be dealt with separately, the government said.

“The biggest obstacle to automatic reimbursement is that the scientific evidence of efficacy is not yet sufficient and the conclusions of existing studies are sometimes contradictory,” the government said.

The Federal Health Office will launch an evaluation project to help answer questions about whether the drug is an effective remedy and, if so, for what conditions, it said.

Switzerland cited increased use of medical cannabis in the treatment of a variety of conditions as driving its initiative. Federal authorities granted around 3,000 exceptions for people seeking to get medical marijuana in 2018.

Across Europe, the cannabis industry is taking root. Portugal’s parliament has approved a bill to legalize cannabis-based medicines, following in the footsteps of Italy, Germany, Canada and parts of the United States. Britain made a similar move in July 2018.