« The scientific focus is on the social and economic consequences of cannabis consumption. It will thus be possible to study whether legal cannabis has a positive effect on health and educational attainment. It will also be a question of identifying whether ease of access to cannabis increases consumption. »*
Andreas Beerli, ETH Zurich’s Center for Economic Research
After the cities of Basel, Zurich and Lausanne, as well as the canton of Geneva, the canton of Zurich will launch the controlled sale of cannabis on May 2. With 7,500 participants expected, it is the largest pilot project of this type in Switzerland, reports RTS.*
The University of Zurich and the Zurich Polytechnic are responsible for the scientific evaluation of the pilot project in the canton of Zurich, which has been authorized by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The study is expected to last five years and will cost around 1.4 million francs, Paul-Lukas Good, president of Swiss Cannabis Research, said on Monday.*
According to Andreas Beerli from the ETH Zurich’s Center for Economic Research, the scientific focus is on the social and economic consequences of cannabis consumption. It will thus be possible to study whether legal cannabis has a positive effect on health and educational attainment. It will also be a question of identifying whether ease of access to cannabis increases consumption.*
Pharmacies and points of sale*
Participants will be able to obtain cannabis in pharmacies and points of sale in 34 municipalities in the canton. Three kinds of cannabis will be available with THC contents of 15%, 9% and 6%, said Paul Lukas Good.*
Participants will be divided into three groups of 2,500 people each. Two groups will have access to regulated cannabis and the third will continue to obtain products on the black market. Andreas Beerli hopes that the comparison between these groups will make it possible to draw conclusions on the effect of regulated sales and to identify differences between town and country or in the age of consumers.*
The cities of Basel, Zurich and Lausanne and the canton of Geneva have already launched their trials. They were authorized by the OFSP. Similar projects are also planned in Bern and St. Gallen.
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*** ndlr. : –.
