From September it will be legal to buy cannabis in Basel

The first pilot project for the legal sale of cannabis in Switzerland will start on September 15th in the canton of Basel-Stadt. Basel residents who already use drug hemp and are at least 18 years old can register for the study with immediate effect.

Up to 370 participants will be able to buy six cannabis products in nine selected Basel pharmacies as part of the two-and-a-half-year study. This was announced by the Basel health director Lukas Engelberger on Thursday in front of the media. Four different types of cannabis flowers and two types of hash are sold.
No consumption at all would be better

Engelberger does not want to be misunderstood, he would prefer no consumption at all. However, a ban has so far failed to curb consumption in the long term, he said at the media conference. “Cannabis use has high social and health costs. We have to be pragmatic, »says Engelberger.

The "Weed Care" project was approved by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) in April. In addition to the health department, the university psychiatric clinics in Basel and the University of Basel are involved.

Divided into two groups

As the head of the Addiction Department, Regine Steinauer, explains, only adults residing in Basel-Stadt may register for the study. Participation also requires surveys and other exclusion criteria.

The subjects are divided into two groups. For the first group, the cannabis is available in pharmacies from day one. For the second group only after six months. A journalist would like to know why there is no control group that is not allowed to purchase cannabis at all, but after six months. Marc Walter justified the decision by saying that nobody else would have contacted us and that the comparison could still be made.
Delivery is strictly controlled

The study examines the effects of regulated cannabis sales on consumer behavior and health compared to the consequences of illegally procuring the drug.

Procurement in pharmacies is strictly regulated. The penalty-free upper limit of ten grams also counts here. The delivery is controlled by means of a student ID card and a QR code. The end products sold are also serialized and can be traced back to the buyer should the cannabis be found in public places.
Several cities interested in pilot project

The cannabis products with different THC/CBD contents are obtained from the supplier Pure Production in Zeiningen, Aargau. Since the beginning of 2020, the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) has issued an exemption permit for the cultivation of drug hemp. The prices are based on the black market and THC content. A gram costs between 8 and 12 francs.

In addition to Basel-Stadt, the cities of Zurich and Lausanne also want to start a pilot project for the legal sale of cannabis this year.

by zueritoday.ch