Cannabis Laws in Switzerland

Switzerland has carved out a distinctive niche in European cannabis policy, most notably through its unique regulation allowing CBD products with up to 1% THC, significantly higher than the 0.2% limit common across the EU. This has created a thriving legal CBD market with products sold in shops, supermarkets, and online. The country decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis (up to 10 grams) in 2013, replacing criminal penalties with a fixed fine of CHF 100 for adults.

In August 2022, Switzerland significantly reformed its medical cannabis framework by eliminating the previous requirement for individual exceptional authorization from the Federal Office of Public Health. Physicians can now prescribe cannabis-based medicines directly, streamlining patient access considerably. Perhaps most significantly, Switzerland launched groundbreaking pilot programs in several cities (including Basel, Zurich, and Bern) to study the effects of regulated recreational cannabis sales. These scientific trials, authorized by federal law, allow selected participants to purchase cannabis from licensed outlets, making Switzerland one of the first countries to take an evidence-based experimental approach to recreational regulation.