Switzerland is to join other European countries that have legalized cannabis for medical purposes.
From August 1, patients can get medical cannabis through a medical prescription.
Before the new legislation, medical cannabis patients had to request a request to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Swiss federal government’s center for public health.
The legalization also allows the export of medical cannabis for commercial purposes through the authorization companies need to request from Swissmedic, the Swiss surveillance authority for medicines and medical devices.
In order to legalize medical cannabis in the country, Switzerland’s Federal Council (the executive branch of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation) lifted the ban on cannabis for medical purposes by amending the Swiss Narcotics Act that parliament approved in March 2021.
The Federal Council justified the legalization of medical cannabis in the country by stating that the demand for authorizations has increased in recent years. This entailed a considerable administrative burden and slowed down medical treatment, which no longer corresponds to the exceptional nature provided for by the Narcotics Act.
According to SWI swissinfo.ch, the FOPH issued around 3,000 authorizations for patients with cancer, neurological diseases, or multiple sclerosis in 2019. However, that figure excluded patients who obtained cannabis from the illegal market.
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