In the 1990s and early 2000s, many Swiss hemp shops were selling marijuana with high levels of THC. But the authorities gradually put an end to this trade, which, if tolerated, was nonetheless illegal.
Thomas Kern / swissinfo.ch
Beer, chocolate, clothes, playing cards, scales, pipes. Cannabis shops in Switzerland sell all kinds of marijuana-related items. Everything, that is, except the drug itself.
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Thomas Kern was born in Switzerland in 1965. Trained as a photographer in Zürich, he started working as a photojournalist in 1989. He was a founder of the Swiss photographers agency Lookat Photos in 1990. Thomas Kern has won twice a World Press Award and has been awarded several Swiss national scholarships. His work has been widely exhibited and it is represented in various collections.
Swiss law bans the sale of cannabis with a THC rate of more than 1%. The Federal Health Office can allow its sale however in some cases, such as for therapeutic reasons. Sales of the items bearing the famous cannabis leaf symbol are still thriving though.
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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.