While several European countries are groping their way along the road to cannabis legalization, Switzerland is moving forward methodically. Thanks to an extensive nationwide study, it has demonstrated that the regulated sale of cannabis is an effective way of drying up the black market – a model which its neighbors could learn from.
Supervised experimentation, promising results
While the purchase of cannabis is still being tested in Switzerland, the first results of the largest pilot project ever carried out in the country have just come in – and they speak for themselves: the black market is drying up fast. A dynamic which could well precipitate the regulated legalization of THC in the Confederation.
Unlike Germany, where uncertainty still hangs over the pilot projects announced by the previous government coalition, Switzerland is moving forward with sure steps. Before any legal sales are authorized, rigorous scientific studies are being carried out to determine whether specialized cannabis stores, like those in Canada and some American states, can keep dealers away and reduce crime.
Zurich at the forefront, users shun illegal routes
The most in-depth data are being collected in the canton of Zurich. The project involves the local university, an economic research institute and the Swiss Cannabis Research association, and mobilizes some 4,400 participants aged between 18 and 80 – a national record.
One year after the start of the experiment, the published data are very encouraging. Enough to encourage the Federal Council’s National Commission to give serious consideration to supervised cannabis legalization in the near future.
The study’s methodology is based on a simple but effective comparison: around a third of participants continue to obtain their supplies from dealers, while the remaining two-thirds can buy their cannabis in pharmacies or specialist stores. Unsurprisingly, it was the latter who reported a far more satisfying experience to the researchers.
The outlets were carefully chosen: they had to be accessible by public transport and located less than 30 minutes from the participants’ homes. This is an essential criterion if the legal offer is to be truly competitive with the black market, like the tobacconists and liquor stores on every street corner.
Ten grams of THC per month, under federal control
Each participant is authorized to buy up to ten grams of THC per month, a quantity controlled by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). In Switzerland, it is estimated that users smoke up to 50,000 joints a day – a figure which gives an idea of the scale of the problem.
The data collected confirms a long-held intuition: regulated, supervised sales reserved for adults not only limit the risks associated with consumption, but also effectively reduce criminal activity. By buying their cannabis in approved stores, users no longer have to frequent illicit networks likely to offer other, far more dangerous substances.
The study also points out that if states fail to offer a simple, accessible alternative – such as specialized stores – and simply legalize personal or associative cultivation, the black market will persist. Cannabis users, like alcohol consumers, simply want easy access to their product.
Swiss example
While some large European countries and even the European Union are struggling to adopt a pragmatic approach, small, fiercely independent Switzerland is leading the way. By relying on science and rigorous experimentation, it is proving that well-thought-out legalization can be both safe for the population and formidably effective against trafficking.
