Two further Swiss adult-use cannabis trials could soon be green-lit in the Italian-speaking Ticino region, but the Canton’s Grand Council has voted to wash its hands of any involvement.
Switzerland’s pilot projects have come thick and fast since legislation allowing for the small-scale regulated sale of cannabis was passed in 2021.
Seven pilot trials have now been approved by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and are currently up and running, but the potential eighth and ninth trials now appear to have a much rockier road to launch.
On March 24, Ticino’s council held a heated debate on whether to actively involve themselves in the two local pilot projects which, according to their proponents, are ready to launch as soon as the FOPH approves them.
What happened?
The history of Ticino’s pilot projects goes back nearly a decade, with the first proposals being submitted to the Ticino Grand Council in 2016.
This was subsequently turned into a motion in 2017, but was only adopted and put to a vote by the council eight years later, taking place on March 24, 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’.
Despite the amendments, the heated debate ultimately saw prohibitionist rhetoric prevail.
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.
Its primary aim is to collect robust data on cannabis consumption habits, public health outcomes, and broader social impacts under controlled, legal conditions.
The project has received approval from the ethics committee but is still awaiting final approval from the FOPH.
While the project has not yet received final approval from the FOPH, all preparations are underway, and the study will proceed only once regulatory authorisation is granted.
TiCann will oversee and finance the trial while managing the distribution of cannabis products to participants. Meanwhile, the University of St. Gallen will lead the academic research. Additionally, Areté Solutions, an independent clinical research organisation, will ensure regulatory compliance and analyse regional trends.
Ticino is unique, situated almost entirely south of the Alps, representing Switzerland’s southernmost region, with no natural 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.
While the federal government has since moved to close these regulatory loopholes, the pilot aimed to address the ongoing emergence of cannabis businesses operating within new legal grey areas, selling the newly emergent synthetic cannabinoids.
The debate
Supporters of the bill put forward arguments that are consistent with the federal rationale behind the pilot projects, and Switzerland’s recent efforts to legalise adult-use cannabis entirely.
Laura Riget (Social Democratic Party of Switzerland), who introduced the motion, stated that: “Denying reality is never the solution, and this also applies to cannabis consumption.
“We’re not talking about reckless liberalisation, but about a serious and structured process to test 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 experiments are not necessary. Other cantons are already doing this, with strict scientific criteria and available data. Why should we replicate it? This is not innovation, it’s stubbornness and waste,” stated Maurizio Agustoni (Centre).
In response, supporters argued that given Ticino’s unique cultural and social context, it was necessary to gather localised data.
However, despite the relatively liberal stance of the wider Swiss government, the debate was marred by a barrage of textbook prohibitionist arguments.
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 next?
In a narrow vote (46 yes, 35 no and 2 abstentions), the council ultimately rejected the motion calling for official support from the canton of Ticino for the pilots. As a result, Ticino will not actively promote or assist in launching a pilot trial.
Health Minister Raffaele De Rosa, speaking on behalf of the Consiglio di Stato, noted that two pilot project applications had already been submitted for federal review, adding that it was therefore not the canton’s role to approve or promote such trials.
“It is the Federal Office of Public Health that must evaluate the scientific validity of these projects. Let’s leave it to them,” De Rosa said.
This means that, while federal approval for local projects may still proceed, the canton itself will not offer political or administrative backing.
Under Article 8A of the Swiss Narcotics Act, the FOPH is empowered to authorise scientific pilot studies for the non-medical use of cannabis, but the legislation states that the regulator must consult with the cantons and municipalities concerned.
However, its not defined exactly what this consultation process looks like, and it remains unclear whether the local council will be able to prevent the pilots from moving forward should they be approved by the FOPH.
A decision is expects from the regulator in the coming weeks, and Business of Cannabis will be delving deeper into the issue as the situation develops.
