Switzerland to launch Europe's first cannabis sales pilot program

By Dario Sabaghi / Forbes

Switzerland is to become the first European country to launch a cannabis sales pilot program to study the effects of cannabis legalization.

The so-called "Weed Care" pilot program will be officially launched on September 15 and is scheduled to last for two and a half years, ending in March 2025.

The program involves 370 participants based in Basel, Switzerland's third-most populous city.

Participants involved in the pilot program are over 18, reside in Basel-Stadt Canton, and are already adult-use cannabis consumers.

Throughout the entire study, the participants will be regularly asked about their cannabis consumption behavior and physical and mental health, among other things.

"The first research question is whether consumption changes - whether more is consumed, less or the same amount," said Regine Steinauer, head of the addiction department at Basel University, as reported by Euronews.