Selected users permitted to buy cannabis in Bern pharmacies

The cannabis products can be obtained from five pharmacies in the city of Bern. On offer are four varieties of dried flower bud, two resins, two tincture sprays and two e-liquids.   KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

As part of a study in the city of Bern, several hundred people can now obtain cannabis products in five selected pharmacies. The aim is not to promote cannabis consumption, but to gain insights for future drug policy.  

At a media conference on Friday, Bern city councillor Franziska Teuscher, of the Green Party, said it had long been accepted that cannabis products had to be purchased on the black market. The start of the study with controlled distribution was therefore “a significant day”.  

The study is being conducted by the Institute of Primary Health Care at the University of Bern. The cities of Biel/Bienne and Lucerne are also involved. A total of over 1,000 people from the three cities are expected to take part.  

Over 900 cannabis users from the Bern region registered and 700 have been included in the study, according to the city of Bern. Of these, 80% are men.  

Ten products to choose from  

The cannabis products can be obtained from five pharmacies in the city of Bern. On offer are four varieties of dried flower bud, two resins, two tincture sprays and two e-liquids.  

Cannabis consumption should not be promoted, said project manager Reto Auer from the University of Bern. The products are therefore neutrally packaged. Their price sits just above the average price of cannabis on the illegal market.  

Cannabis users are counselled by specially trained pharmacy staff. They are advised to choose lower-risk forms of consumption, said Auer. For him, advice to stop smoking is crucial: the concern is that most cannabis users would die from their tobacco addiction.   

Strictly not business  

For pharmacies, dispensing cannabis products is not a business. The effort involved is great and is compensated at a flat rate, said Martin Beyeler, managing director of the Unitobler pharmacy. What motivates pharmacies to participate is the prospect of helping to develop a strategy for low-risk consumption. It is a tragedy that many people are still causing themselves great harm by smoking, he explained.  

The study aims to show the health and social impacts of the regulated sale of cannabis. Other cities, such as Basel, Zurich and Lausanne, have similar projects underway.  

Safety and trust  

What is special about the study in Bern, as emphasised in the media conference, is the large selection of cannabis products and the fact that they are sold in pharmacies. These stand for safety and trust, according to Teuscher.  

The councillor was convinced that the project would be a success, saying it promotes harm-reducing forms of cannabis consumption and offers consumers good-quality products and counselling. In addition, she found it important that consumption would be decriminalised.  

Teuscher said she was sure that the study would provide important insights for future cannabis policy. She maintained that the focus should be on regulation that is orientated towards the health of consumers and not towards profit. 

Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/ts

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