Representative image of a cannabis plant.
Credit: Reuters Photo
By Bastian Benrath-Wright
Switzerland may join other countries in legalizing cannabis after a key legislative body voted in favour of the measure.
The committee for health and social security of Parliament’s lower house on Friday backed the draft of a revised law on cannabis products, it said in a statement. The new law aims to regulate cannabis production and trade without promoting consumption, it said. The measure still needs the backing of the full parliament and may be challenged in a referendum.
“The commission was unanimous in its view that cannabis use is a social reality,” according to the statement. “The majority of the commission considers the current situation to be unsatisfactory and the prohibitionist approach to be misguided.”
Cannabis interest groups and Switzerland’s Green party celebrated the decision as a “milestone” for cannabis regulation in the country.