The Grand Council of the Canton has decided to stay out of the adult cannabis trials in Ticino, a region that speaks Italian.
Since the passage of legislation in 2021 allowing small-scale, regulated cannabis sales, Switzerland has seen a rapid increase in pilot projects.
The Federal Office of Public Health has approved seven pilot tests, which are now running. However, the eighth and ninth potential trials may have an even more difficult time getting off the ground.
A heated discussion took place on the 24th of March in Ticino about whether the council should actively participate in the two local Pilot Projects that are, according their supporters, ready for launch the moment the FOPH gives them approval.
What has happened?
It’s been nearly 10 years since the Ticino Grand Council was first presented with proposals for pilot projects.
It was subsequently changed into a resolution in 2017, and only eight years later was it adopted by the Council, which took place on 24 March 2025.
Motion 1222 initially requested that the canton promote the pilot project, but this was later modified to request members vote to ‘accompany already existing projects’.
In the end, despite heated arguments and amendments to the Constitution, prohibitionist rhetoric won out.
One of the two proposed pilots currently awaiting approval from the FOPH, ‘Cannabis in Ticino’ was proposed by TiCann SA, a Swiss company created specifically to support and implement a regulated cannabis trial in the canton.
This project’s main goal is to collect reliable data under legal and controlled conditions on the consumption of cannabis, its public health effects, as well as broader social impact.
Project has been approved by the FOPH’s ethics committee, but final approval is still required from them.
The project is in preparation, but hasn’t yet been approved by the FOPH.
TiCann is responsible for the financing and management of the trial, while also managing the distribution cannabis products. The University of St. Gallen, on the other hand, will be leading the academic research. Additionally, Areté Solutions, an independent clinical research organisation, will ensure regulatory compliance and analyse regional trends.
The Ticino region is the southernmost part of Switzerland, and it has no access to the Swiss Plateau.
It has a long and complex relationship with cannabis, seeing the emergence of dozens of ‘canapai’ cannabis shops in the early 2000s, which flourished due to regulatory ambiguity.
Although the federal government is now closing these regulatory gaps, the pilot attempted to deal with the rise of businesses that operate within the new grey zones, and sell the synthetic cannabinoids.
Discussion
The bill’s supporters have argued that the rationale for the pilot programs and the recent Swiss efforts to completely legalise cannabis use by adults is consistent with both the Federal government’s reasoning behind them, as well as the arguments of those who support the bill.
Laura Riget, who presented the motion (Social Democratic Party of Switzerland), stated: “Denying the reality is never a solution. This also applies to marijuana consumption.
We’re not talking reckless liberalisation but a structured and serious process for testing responsible regulation.
On the other side of the debate, the pilot’s opponents argued that given seven other pilot projects are currently underway, there was no need to ‘duplicate’ these efforts.
“These pilot tests are not needed. Other cantons already use this method, using strict criteria and existing data. Why do we need to copy it? “This isn’t innovation. It’s stubbornness, waste and indifference,” said Maurizio Augustoni (Centre).
Supporters responded by arguing that it is necessary to collect local data due to the unique social and cultural context of Ticino.
The debate, however, was marred by an onslaught of prohibitionist arguments, even though the Swiss government as a whole has a relatively liberal position.
Lara Filippini (Rapporteur for the Majority) claimed that while the pilot projects are ‘presented as harmless and scientifically neutral’, they ‘actually contribute to a dangerous trivialisation of cannabis’, especially among younger generations.
She also put forward the widely debunked ‘gateway’ hypothesis, stating that ‘cannabis use, especially when started young, can be a stepping stone to more dangerous substances.”
What’s next?
A narrow majority (46 in favor, 35 opposed and 2 absentees) voted against the proposal to provide official support by the canton of Ticino to the pilots. Ticino has decided not to actively promote or help launch a pilot test.
Raffaele Del Rosa, Health Minister, spoke on behalf the Consiglio di Stato and noted that there had been two requests for pilot projects submitted to federal review. He added that this was not the role of cantons in approving or promoting such trials.
It is up to the Federal Office of Public Health to evaluate these projects’ scientific validity. De Rosa said, “Leave them to it.”
It means, that while the federal government may continue to approve local projects, the cantons themselves will not provide any political or administrative back up.
According to Article 8A, Swiss Narcotics Act (Swiss Narcotics Act), the FOPH has the authority to authorize scientific pilot studies on the non-medical usage of cannabis. However, it is required that they consult the concerned cantons and municipalities.
It is not clear how this process will look and if the FOPH approves the project, the local council may be unable to stop it.
In the coming weeks we can expect a regulatory decision. MEDCAN24 As the situation evolves, we will continue to explore the subject.
The Grand Council of the Canton has decided to stay out of the adult cannabis trials in Ticino, a region that speaks Italian.
Since the passage of legislation in 2021 allowing small-scale, regulated cannabis sales, Switzerland has seen a rapid increase in pilot projects.
The Federal Office of Public Health has approved seven pilot tests, which are now running. However, the eighth and ninth potential trials may have an even more difficult time getting off the ground.
A heated discussion took place on the 24th of March in Ticino about whether the council should actively participate in two local pilot programs that are, according their supporters, ready for launch the moment the FOPH gives them approval.
What has happened?
It’s been nearly 10 years since the Ticino Grand Council was first presented with proposals for pilot projects.
It was then turned into a resolution in 2017, which was adopted by the Council eight years later on 24 March 2025.
Motion 1222 initially requested that the canton promote the pilot project, but this was later modified to request members vote to ‘accompany already existing projects’.
In the end, despite heated arguments and amendments to the Constitution, prohibitionist rhetoric won out.
One of the two proposed pilots currently awaiting approval from the FOPH, ‘Cannabis in Ticino’ was proposed by TiCann SA, a Swiss company created specifically to support and implement a regulated cannabis trial in the canton.
This project’s main goal is to collect reliable data under controlled legal conditions on marijuana consumption patterns, outcomes for public health, and wider social effects.
This project was approved by the FOPH’s Ethics Committee, however it is still waiting for final approval.
All preparations for the study are in place, even though the FOPH hasn’t yet given final approval.
TiCann is responsible for the financing and management of the trial, while also managing the distribution cannabis products. The University of St. Gallen, on the other hand, will be leading the academic research. Additionally, Areté Solutions, an independent clinical research organisation, will ensure regulatory compliance and analyse regional trends.
The Ticino region is the southernmost part of Switzerland, and it has no access to the Swiss Plateau.
It has a long and complex relationship with cannabis, seeing the emergence of dozens of ‘canapai’ cannabis shops in the early 2000s, which flourished due to regulatory ambiguity.
Although the federal government is now closing these regulatory gaps, the pilot project was intended to deal with the emerging cannabis businesses that operate within the new grey zones of law, and sell the synthetic cannabinoids.
Discussion
The bill’s supporters have argued that the rationale for the pilot programs and the recent Swiss efforts to completely legalise cannabis use by adults is consistent with both the Federal reasoning behind them as well as the arguments of those who support the bill.
Laura Riget of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, the person who brought the motion forward, said: “Denying truth is not a solution. And this applies also to cannabis consumption.”
We’re not talking reckless liberalisation but a structured and serious process for testing responsible regulation.
On the other side of the debate, the pilot’s opponents argued that given seven other pilot projects are currently underway, there was no need to ‘duplicate’ these efforts.
“These pilot tests are not needed. Other cantons already do this with scientific criteria and data available. Why would we want to replicate this? “This isn’t innovation. It’s stubbornness, waste and indifference,” said Maurizio Augustoni (Centre).
Some supporters responded that, due to the cultural and social uniqueness of Ticino, local data was needed.
The debate, however, was marred by an onslaught of prohibitionist arguments, even though the Swiss government as a whole has a relatively liberal position.
Lara Filippini (Rapporteur for the Majority) claimed that while the pilot projects are ‘presented as harmless and scientifically neutral’, they ‘actually contribute to a dangerous trivialisation of cannabis’, especially among younger generations.
She also put forward the widely debunked ‘gateway’ hypothesis, stating that ‘cannabis use, especially when started young, can be a stepping stone to more dangerous substances.”
What’s next?
A narrow majority (46 in favor, 35 opposed and 2 absentees) voted against the proposal to provide official support by the canton of Ticino to the pilots. Ticino has decided not to actively promote or help launch a pilot test.
Raffaele Del Rosa, Health Minister, spoke on behalf the Consiglio di Stato and noted that there had been two requests for pilot projects submitted to federal review. He added that this was not the role of cantons in approving or promoting such trials.
It is up to the Federal Office of Public Health to evaluate these projects’ scientific validity. De Rosa said, “Leave them to it.”
It means, that while the federal government may continue to approve local projects, the cantons themselves will not provide any political or administrative back up.
According to Article 8A, Swiss Narcotics Act (Swiss Narcotics Act), the FOPH has the authority to authorize scientific pilot studies on the non-medical usage of cannabis. However, it is required that they consult the concerned cantons and municipalities.
It is not clear how this process will look and if the FOPH approves the project, the local council may be unable to stop it.
In the coming weeks we can expect a regulatory decision. MEDCAN24 As the situation evolves, we will be examining the matter in greater depth.
Cannabis Law Resources for Poland
Browse essential legal pages on cannabis sales and cultivation in Poland. These guides will help you understand the legal requirements, such as certifications and permissions.
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Polish News Registration and Interests of Cannabis Businesses
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Permissions for Cannabis Sales in Poland
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Authorization for Importing or Manufacturing Medical Products
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Permission for Manufacturing or Importing Medical Products
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Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
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Registration of Medical Products in Poland