Results from Swiss Cannabis Pilot Program Suggest Legalization Reduces Problematic Cannabis Use

The first results from Switzerland’s adult-use cannabis pilot program
suggest that legal cannabis access reduces problematic cannabis
consumption, according to a study published last month in the journal
*Addiction**. *In the study, the researchers define “problematic
consumption” if it causes or exacerbates health, social or psychological
difficulties – even without dependency in the classic sense.

Out of approximately 370 participants who participated in the study, half
were able to buy legal cannabis in one of the nine participating
pharmacies. The participants were offered counseling in the process. The
other half, as a control group, continued to use illegally-sourced
cannabis. The participants reported on their consumption and mental state
via regular questionnaires.

The participants who obtained cannabis legally reported “a significant
drop” in problematic cannabis use, despite there being no significant
difference between the first study groups in terms of anxiety, depression,
and other symptoms in the first six months. After the first six months, the
control group was able to buy cannabis through the pharmacies. Two years
into the study, the 300 participants still taking part showed significant
improvement in their mental state.

“Public health-oriented recreational cannabis access may decrease cannabis
use and cannabis-related harms,” the researchers concluded, “especially
among those using other drugs.”

Last February, the National Council’s Social Security and Health Committee
voted 14-9 in favor of a federal law draft that would allow citizens to
grow, buy, possess, and consume cannabis. The Weed Care study was launched
in Basel in January 2023.