Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Cannabis products sold in Lidl Switzerland

A packet of hemp flowers
The hemp flowers grown by Thurgau company The Botanicals obs/LIDL Schweiz

Hemp containing active ingredient cannabidiol (CBD) can now be bought in Swiss branches of German discount supermarket chain Lidl. 

Start-up company The BotanicalsExternal link, from Thurgau in northeastern Switzerland, will be supplying LidlExternal link with pure hemp flowers grown exclusively in Switzerland in partially automated greenhouses and specially designed indoor facilities. 

+ An in-depth look at how medicinal cannabis made a comeback

They say they support sustainable agriculture and are totally renouncing the use of chemical, synthetic or genetically modified substances. To guarantee the best possible hemp, it is obtained according to the Good Agricultural and Collection PracticeExternal link guidelines of the European Medicines Agency. 

The hemp flowers, which are produced as a tobacco replacement intended to be used in roll-up cigarettes, are available in Lidl stores in French and German-speaking Switzerland. A 1.5-gram packet costs CHF17.99 ($18.60). 

Caution 

Health and addiction experts are less enthusiastic about the normalisation of a product whose effects remain relatively unknown. 

Addiction Suisse, a foundation battling problems of addictive substances, said last year that “caution remains the watchword.” It pointed out it was particularly important to avoid CBD ingestion during pregnancy, because the protective function of the placenta could be modified. 

While the Federal Office of Public Health recognised the potentially useful therapeutic effects of the “drug” – anti-oxidising, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsive – it pointed out that “its medicinal effect is for now not clearly ascertained by research”.

More


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Trump names Callista Gingrich ambassador to Switzerland

More

Trump picks Callista Gingrich as ambassador to Switzerland

This content was published on Incoming United States president Donald Trump has named Callista Gingrich as the next ambassador to Switzerland. Gingrich was posted to the Vatican under Trump's previous term.

Read more: Trump picks Callista Gingrich as ambassador to Switzerland

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR