If you’ve started looking at the EU for growing, cultivating, or selling cannabis – there are many different places to start. Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Greece all come to mind as the go-to countries for cannabis, but what about Switzerland? This is a short recap of the main information you need to know before starting with cannabis in Switzerland.
Legalization
With various developments happening so quickly it is easy to lose track of what is the current legal framework for the cultivation, extraction, and recreational use of cannabis in Switzerland. We thought you could use a short rundown of the current state and the newest developments.
Switzerland legalized the use of medical cannabis in 2011 and based on this – the cultivation and import of cannabis for medical use are deemed legal. It is important to note that only cannabis and cannabis products that contain less than 1% of THC are legalized and anything else going over this threshold is considered illegal.
However, there are new and exciting developments happening every day. One of them is the kick-off of the recreational cannabis trials for adults, which started in September 2022. The program is called “Weed Care” and is located in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Basel is currently one of five cities in Switzerland starting a trial such as this. The aim of it is to pave the country’s way toward recreational cannabis legalization and move away from the black market influencing consumer behavior and health.
The Market
Although technically medicinal cannabis is legalized, the framework in which it is set up makes the primary market in Switzerland CBD-first. As a result of the legislation released in July of 2022, Switzerland has formally legalized cannabis use for medical purposes and has allowed for the export of medical cannabis for commercial purposes. It is important to note that although export is allowed, prior authorization will be required and products will need to meet the legal medicinal cannabis requirements.
There have been various estimations and studies carried out lately to determine the economic standing of the cannabis market and its potential impact on the Swiss economy. One of the current latest studies from June 2022 estimated that legalization would push the market to a yearly turnover of nearly 1.03$ billion. This study, in combination with the legalization of medicinal cannabis becoming a reality starting August 1st, can serve as quite some inspiration for any newcomers and as solid backing for those already active in the market.
If you are as excited as we are about the recent developments in the Swiss market – let’s talk!
