Cannabis pharmacy sales do not increase consumption, study finds

People who can buy cannabis legally and under regulation at pharmacies do not consume more on average, according to interim findings from a study in Bern, Biel and Lucerne, Swiss broadcaster SRF reports. Consumption has even declined slightly, the researchers said.

Participants can buy cannabis products made specifically for the study at selected pharmacies in the three cities. The products include flowers, resin and liquids for electronic cigarettes. Trained pharmacy staff also advise participants on the relative risks of different ways of consuming cannabis.

The advice appears to be influencing consumption habits. Participants are increasingly switching from smoking cannabis mixed with tobacco in a joint to lower-risk methods such as vaping or using an oral spray.

About 70 percent of participants said they would pass on the information from the consultations to people around them. They also valued the consistent quality of the products, which contrasts with cannabis bought on the black market.

“The regulated sale did not lead participants to consume more. On the contrary, the study shows slight downward trends,” said study director Reto Auer of the University of Bern’s Institute of Primary Health Care at a media briefing on Monday. “This counters one of the central concerns in the political debate,” he said.

Cannabis sold through the pharmacies costs more than products on the black market because a surcharge helps fund the consultations. Older participants have accepted the higher prices, while those aged 18 to 25 have been considerably more sensitive to them. The study leaders said this suggests that higher prices could help protect young people.

Researchers had also feared that participants might resell the products. Such cases have been virtually nonexistent, they said. Auer referred to one incident in which police seized cannabis from the pilot project. The participant who had passed on the drug was issued a warning.

The study has been running since 2024 and has been extended by the federal government until October 2028. The project, known as the Script study, involves 1,177 people aged 18 and over.

Bern and Lucerne officials said the interim findings support work on planned federal legislation that would provide adults across Switzerland with regulated access to cannabis products. Further cannabis pilot projects are under way in Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva and the cantons of St Gallen and Basel-Landschaft.