Swiss initiative wants cannabis to be enshrined in the constitution
The people’s initiative, ‘Cannabis legalisation: opportunities for the economy, health and equality’, wants a new article on cannabis enshrined in the constitution.
Keystone / Christian Beutler
A people’s initiative launched on Tuesday has called for the legalisation of growing and selling cannabis.
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Iniciativa suíça quer consagrar maconha na constituição
The committee includes unnamed individuals from German-speaking Switzerland.
The people’s initiative, “Cannabis legalisation: opportunities for the economy, health and equality”, wants a new article on cannabis enshrined in the constitution. According to the text of the initiative published in the Swiss Federal Gazette, citizens should be allowed to grow and possess cannabis from the age of 18 for their personal use.
Commercial cannabis growers and sales outlets would require a licence and be subject to strict quality and safety regulations. The proceeds from the taxation of cannabis products would be channelled into drug education, addiction prevention and awareness.
The committee has until October 30, 2025, to collect the required 100,000 signatures to trigger a nationwide vote.
Pilot projects that allow the regulated sale of cannabis are currently underway in Basel, Zurich, Geneva, Bern and Lausanne.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp
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