An ongoing adult-use cannabis trial in Switzerland named Weed-Care has published an update showing positive health outcomes, such as improvements in mental health and a decrease in addiction problems.
The trial, being conducted in Basel northwest Switzerland, has been gathering data on the “for-pleasure” use of 300 cannabis consumers to understand the differences in the current black-market model and a legal market, to monitor any change in participants’ behaviour and health, and also to determine the possible outcomes of a nationwide legal cannabis industry.
Participants, who are over the age of 18 and had to be a consumer before they applied for the trial, have been able to purchase their cannabis through regulated pharmacies that had agreed to take part in the Weed-Care pilot.
The products available to them are free from pesticides, impurities, and synthetic cannabinoids. The percentage of the active ingredient, such as THC or CBD, is clearly displayed. All of the products have been approved by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), and participants are charged between CHF 8 and CHF 12 (£7 and £7.50) per gram.
Not only did the results show that those involved with Weed-Care experienced lower instances of depression, anxiety, and addictive behaviours, but it also showed there was no increase in the amount of cannabis participants consumed, nor the number of days that it was consumed.
Researchers were surprised to learn that of the 87 kg worth of cannabis consumed so far by the study participants, valued at CHF 900,000 (£788,800), nearly ⅓ had a lower THC level of 13%, well below the average seen in the Swiss black-market.
The trial is the first of its kind in Switzerland and has been followed by similar trials in other regions of the country, such as the Züri Can pilot in the country’s largest city, Zurich. Weed-Care began in September 2022 after Parliament voted in a law in 2020 allowing cannabis pilots to be launched for the purpose of research, and has been extended to run until September 2027.
