Swiss Recreational Cannabis Study Delayed

Switzerland’s first adult-use cannabis pilot scheme had been delayed after some of the initial products failed quality control tests.

The highly anticipated “Weed Care” experiment was due to launch this Thursday, on September 15, in the city of Basel.

The pilot would have allowed 370 people to buy state-approved cannabis products from pharmacies. But some of these products, when recently tested, showed traces of pesticides.

In an announcement on Friday, September 9, Basel’s health department said that the delay could last “several weeks or even months” to allow the products to be analyzed again by an independent lab.

Led by the Basel-Stadt health department and the University of Basel, the Weed Care study aims to examine the health effects of regulated cannabis sales and, indeed, how a legal market may be regulated.

The study has been met with a good deal of interest. Almost 700 people have already applied to join despite the study’s 370-participant limit.

Regardless of the current delay, the researchers say certain aspects of the study, such as inclusion interviews with study physicians, will go ahead on September 15.

Several other Swiss authorities, including Zurich, Geneva, and Bern, have also reportedly applied to roll out similar trials.