The experiment conducted by the city of Zurich, Switzerland, with the program Züri Can (“Cannabis with Responsibility”), shows clear signs that the legalization of adult cannabis, with strict regulation, can have positive effects. 

Authorities recently requested a two-year extension for the project, citing “encouraging results” in reducing informal sales and promoting safer legal channels.

According to Cannabis Health News, since its inception in 2023, over 2,300 participants have been included, approximately 88,000 legal transactions have been conducted, representing about 750 kg of regulated cannabis, and an estimated CHF 7.5 million (≈€8.11 million) has been taken out of the black market in that area.

At the same time, the Swiss federal government is preparing the Cannabis Products Act (CanPG) bill, which could lead to national legalization as early as 2026, potentially making Switzerland the first European country to implement a fully regulated adult cannabis market. 

Regulation focusing on health and evidence

The study associated with Züri Can, published in September 2024 in the International Journal of Drug Policy, follows 2,100 regular users for three years, testing different access models: pharmacies, non-profit social clubs, and a municipal drug information center.

The proposal is that regulation allows for harm reduction measures, such as THC limits, advertising bans, risk communication, proactively, different from purely prohibitive or hyper-commercialized regimes.

In other words: legalization is not just about “opening up trade,” but about building a controlled environment where public health is a central component.

With information from Cannabis Health.