Switzerland’s Social Security and Health Committee has voted 14 to 9 to approve a draft law to federally regulate the cultivation, production, trade, and consumption of recreational marijuana.
While the draft law maintains that marijuana should remain classified as a narcotic, it acknowledges that consumption is a social reality and that prohibition has not been effective. The proposed framework aims to protect public health, enhance youth safeguards, and improve safety by regulating access and reducing the illicit market.
Under the proposal, adults in Switzerland would be allowed to grow, purchase, possess, and consume marijuana within set limits. Personal cultivation would be restricted to three female plants in the flowering phase, while sales to minors would remain illegal. Commercial production would require federal permits, and products would need to meet strict quality and child-proof packaging standards. The law would also prohibit vertical integration, meaning no entity could both produce and sell marijuana.
A state-controlled monopoly would oversee marijuana sales, with distribution limited to a select number of licensed outlets and a single authorized online retailer. Revenue from marijuana taxation would first cover federal enforcement costs, with the remainder redistributed through health insurance. Cantons could impose additional supervisory taxes and fees.
Cantonal authorities would be responsible for youth education, prevention efforts, and ensuring product compliance. The proposed law would also maintain a zero-tolerance policy for marijuana use in road traffic, with stricter penalties for those bypassing the legal market.
The next step involves preparing an explanatory report on the preliminary draft, which the commission expects to review this summer. Stakeholders and interested parties will then have an opportunity to provide feedback.
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