Switzerland Approves Study for Societal Impact of Recreational Cannabis

Recently approved by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health, a new pilot study, called “Grashaus Projects,” will test the regulated sale and effects on society of cannabis for recreational purposes (1). It will be a combined effort of the Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research (ISGF) and Sanity Group, a medical cannabis company based in Germany (2). According to the press release from Sanity Group (1), this study will be the sixth project involving cannabis to be approved in Switzerland.

The study will reportedly run for five years, is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2023, and will involve up to 3950 participants (1). After potential participants are screened and accepted into the study, they will receive a participation card to legally obtain cannabis (1). Every three to six months afterward, surveys on participants’ consumption habits and health will take place (1). Additionally, the effects on public safety will be analyzed with assistance from the public prosecutor’s office (1).

“The insights gained from the study can contribute to an informed health policy discussion on the responsible use of cannabis and serve as a basis for decisions on long-term regulation,” said Dr. Michael Schaub, Scientific Director of the ISGF and study leader (1). “In addition, we want to investigate whether we can gain better access to high-risk users with, for example, mental health problems, in order to refer them to appropriate cantonal care centers.”

The cannabis products will be obtained by participants from two dispensary stores, both located in the northern canton of Basel-Landschaft and will sell products such as flowers, extracts, and edibles (1). Previous cannabis pilot studies dispensed cannabis through pharmacies or clubs (1). The cannabis will be cultivated and produced by Swiss cultivator SwissExtract (1).

Registration for the study can be found here.

References

1. First legal cannabis dispensaries in Europe: Sanity Group and ISGF get green light for a cannabis study in Swiss canton Basel-Landschaft. Sanity Group. October 25, 2023.
2. Unlocking the health benefits of cannabinoids https://sanitygroup.com/ (accessed Oct 27, 2023).
3. Cannabis-pilotversuch in Basel-landschaft https://grashausprojects.ch/ (accessed Oct 27, 2023).