In terms of cannabis legalisation, Switzerland is behind many other countries — including neighbur Germany — but this is about to change.
What laws are in place currently?
Switzerland has had a complex set of rules for both medical and recreational cannabis consumption.
The Narcotics Act is qualifying it as “a psychoactive substance,” with the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being its most intoxicating ingredient.
However, the law has always been loosely enforced in cases of personal consumption.
Despite the ban, a number of people have been cultivating marijuana plants on their balconies or in their (secluded) gardens for their own personal use.
The law actually allows it, as long as it is a variety of the plant that does not have a narcotic effect — that is, the THC content must be less than 1 percent.
For a long time, medical use of marijuana had also been restricted — doctors could only prescribe a cannabis-based mouth spray for multiple sclerosis patients.
Others who needed this drug for pain relief had to obtain special permission from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
That, however, changed in August 2022 – from that date, patients who had a prescription for the drug no longer needed to seek exceptional permission from the health ministry.
Next step: trials
The Swiss don’t do anything haphazardly: with the view of future legalisation of cannabis, a series of trial runs were held.
The first such project began in 2023 in Basel-Country.
"The scientific knowledge gained from this [pilot project] will provide a basis for discussion for a future responsible cannabis policy," authorities said at the time.
Similar trials followed in other areas of Switzerland as well, including Basel-City, Zurich, Lausanne, Bern, Biel/Bienne, Lucerne, and Geneva.
This FOPH map shows where, and when, all the trials were held:
Fast forward to 2025
On February 14th, the National Council's Public Health Committee has unveiled the outlines of the law that will be proposed and debated.
The committee said it reached a decision "that cannabis consumption is a social reality" and the majority considered that "the prohibitive approach is wrong."
However, it is in favour of "strictly regulated access."
This means:
- Distribution and sale to minors will be prohibited
- The quantity that a person can cultivate and possess in public spaces will be limited
- Production for profit will be authorised but the profits will be allocated to prevention
- Sales will be subject to a state monopoly, which will grant a limited number of concessions to points of sale
- Advertising will be prohibited
- A tax will be introduced and will depend on the THC level
- People who avoid the legal market will be punished more severely than today (currently fine for possession or sale is from 100 francs upwards, depending on quantity)
In terms of road traffic: there will be zero tolerance, smoking and driving will not be allowed
‘Historic day'
The move toward the legalisation of cannabis met with a number of positive reactions.
"This is a historic day for public health and safety," according to the Group for the Study of Addictions.
As for the Green Party, "repression is very expensive and fuels a black market run by mafias. Decriminalisation allows for control of the origin and quality of products and better support for people who consume cannabis."
However, not everyone is happy that Switzerland is considering making marijuana legal.
A minority of the Health Committe is opposed to the proposed law.
In their opinion, lifting the ban on cannabis for non-medical purposes “would send a very bad signal.”
If cannabis were legal, “the population, and especially young people, would think that its consumption is not harmful,” they said.
What’s the next step?
While the legalisation process has began, it is far from over.
The committee has created a draft law, but an explanatory report must be drafted by the summer, so that the consultation procedure can be launched.
Then the parliamentary debates will take place, along with the discussion of implementation modalities.
So it will still take time for cannabis to become legal in Switzerland.
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