The city of Lausanne, in partnership with Addiction Suisse, launched a pilot project called Cann-L, aimed at studying the effects of regulated non-profit cannabis sales on consumer behavior as well as its impact on the illegal cannabis market. .
The pilot test was approved by the Federal Office of Public Health, joining similar projects in Basel and Zurich.
The study hopes to bring together around 1,200 cannabis consumers residing in Lausanne, with 2,000 people having already expressed their interest on the project website. Registrations to participate in the study will open in June and the point of sale will be open in September. The products will be sold in a single point of sale without medical connotation, and the sales team will provide advice on consumption and risk reduction. The team will also be able to “evaluate and direct people with problematic consumption into the help network”, according to the City of Lausanne.
The sale of products will begin in September and will be intended for personal and private consumption. The “local and organic” cultivation of the plants has also started and the first harvest will take place during the summer. The products will be prepared before being put on sale.
The study aims to better understand cannabis consumption, strengthen prevention and limit the nuisance caused by the illegal market. The Vaud capital seeks to study the effects of regulated non-profit cannabis sales on consumer behavior as well as its impact on the illegal market. People enrolled in the study will also be monitored to assess their consumption behavior.
The City of Lausanne declared that the objective of the project was to "study the consumption of cannabis in a scientific manner in order to better understand it and strengthen prevention, but also to limit the nuisance caused by the illegal market".
