Switzerland’s misguided approach to drugs

Are drugs, or more accurately narcotics, now part of our social fabric, part of being human? Are they an expression of individual freedom in shaping our lives? Drug use as a possible way of life? Are drugs financed and distributed by the authorities considered “healthy”? A glance at the newspapers over the last few weeks might suggest so. Leading the way are headlines about newly developed cannabis products that have been available for several years on the internet or in pharmacy-like outlets as medicinal and recreational products. These are advertising campaigns for various types of hashish, edibles¹ and products made from different CBD flowers (hemp flowers that contain cannabidiol)² – the aim is to rediscover hemp as an alternative medicine for all kinds of ailments and for relaxation. “Cannabis as medicine” is the headline of the magazine Natürlich, which praises cannabis as one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world, documented for medicinal use in China as early as 5000 BC, considered a sacred herb in India and part of the range of European pharmacies until the 20^th century.³ This is also in line with the draft of a new cannabis law by the Social and Health Commission of the National Council, which the City Council of Lucerne has endorsed in its consultation process: “Lucerne City Council says yes to cannabis legalisation” headlines the “Luzerner Zeitung”.⁴ This (political) thrust is always accompanied by an all-out attack on prevention efforts that do not trivialise cannabis, but seek to inform and protect young people on a sound scientific basis.

CBD products as part of
the legalisation campaign

Could it be, then, that the propaganda for CBD products is more about a creeping but deliberate trivialisation, serving as a door opener for the legalisation of cannabis with its intoxicating and by no means harmless THC? “Hemp – a medicinal plant between ritual and ecstasy?” writes Natürlich.⁵ Or is it rather a ploy by resourceful cannabis producers and marketers who “selflessly” argue that they want to dry up the black market? (Or would they rather cultivate this lucrative business area themselves?) This thesis is supported by a pilot project currently being launched in the canton of Graubünden “for the regulated distribution of cannabis by mail order”.⁶ It aims to tap into the customer segment that cannot stock up in hemp shops in larger towns. The canton of Graubünden, as the least densely populated canton, is particularly suitable for this, writes Zurich-based company Astrasana Research AG, which submitted the application. This is obviously about introducing a new sales model. With the support of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the business is to be given a “serious” image. The study is euphemistically called a “non-clinical observational study”. The university of applied sciences is to examine whether legal access via mail order in peripheral regions reduces the black market and the negative effects of consumption more effectively than pure sales outlets. “Negative effects of consumption”? So that’s it? They are apparently eliminated by mail order!

Contact points and drop-in centres –
a “home” for addicts

All of this is part of the political approach to the drug issue that has prevailed in our country for years. It propagates the narrative that drugs (more correctly, narcotics) are harmless and a natural part of our society. The “success” of the so-called four-pillar model⁷ designed for this purpose is repeatedly emphasised. For example, in the headline of the “Limmattaler Zeitung”: “New drug consumption room off to a good start”. It is well received by the target group. This refers to the so-called drop-in centre for drug addicts, which opened in the city of Zurich at the beginning of October 2025 near the Sihlcity shopping centre, which is popular with children and young people (!)⁸. Crack, a cocaine product⁹ that is new on the market, is also to be combatted in this way. Various locations in Switzerland, including Lausanne, Brugg and Zurich, are confronted with the devastating effects of this highly addictive drug. The article “Crack has never been so cheap” describes the problems faced by tenants and businesses in Lausanne due to the “Platzspitz”-like conditions at the Place de Riponne in Lausanne. Cocaine and all other drugs have never been so cheap. What can be done? A new contact and drop-in centre right on the spot!¹⁰ In Geneva, on the other hand, the first pilot project involving cocaine is set to start next year. It will be given a scientific veneer by prescribing cocaine and having it administered by medical professionals. Work is currently underway in Geneva to develop a crack-like product that can be inhaled and is therefore slightly less harmful to the body. However, it remains completely unclear what the actual short- and long-term effects of cocaine administration on crack addicts will be …¹¹

Organised crime
as a future trading partner

Unfortunately, the supply of this and other narcotics is assured. “Submarine in the Atlantic with 1.7 tonnes of cocaine” was the headline in a regional newspaper in Aargau when the Portuguese police intercepted a type of submarine in the Atlantic with a cargo of more than 1.7 tonnes of cocaine. In March, seven tonnes of cocaine were seized off the Azores archipelago in cooperation with Spanish colleagues. Organised crime as a future trading partner for our authorities?¹²
  The examples show that Switzerland’s drug policy, which is wrongly praised as progressive, misses its target and promotes addiction. Yet this strategy is still being pursued today, as can be seen from the newspaper reports cited above! How many young people have lost their lives as a result? How many have given up their desire for a drug-free life because they no longer have access to adequate help – in Switzerland, abstinence-oriented therapies are hardly available anymore – and have “settled” into everyday life in and around contact and drop-in centres? However, solutions to the current catastrophe are always sought in the same way, which has long since been proven to be a failure. Is it so difficult to break through mental barriers because we are trapped in the feeling that we are more compassionate than others – or because we have become so emotionally cold and unscrupulous that the many ruined lives no longer keep us awake at night? ... That is precisely why it is important to listen to other voices and be willing to admit that we are at an impasse. Yes, there have been and still are such dissenting voices!

There were also
more courageous people

Before the so-called four-pillar model became the dogma of Swiss drug policy, there were important dissenting voices that continued to call for an abstinence-oriented drug policy. Both prevention and therapy should continue to pursue the goal of protecting young people from slipping into addiction and keeping the path to an addiction-free life open for those already caught up in it. The police should receive full support in their efforts to combat drug trafficking and its consequences.
  However, proponents of a so-called liberal drug policy pursued their goal (in alliance with a large part of the media) by any means necessary. Other opinions were and continue to be vehemently excluded from public debate, their arguments defamed as inhumane, technically misguided and outdated, and their proponents often socially ostracised. Among these courageous dissenting voices was that of Jeanne Hersch (1910–2000), the incorruptible Swiss philosopher from Geneva.¹³ She recalled the anthropological foundations of humanity and offered her comprehensive view as a decision-making aid in the disoriented debate on drug policy – in the hope of shaking up those in positions of responsibility so that they would come to their senses and reassume their human responsibility. Like many others, she found it difficult to make her well-founded opinion heard by the general public. Today, 25 years after her death, the thoughts that Jeanne Hersch summarised in a lecture could once again lead us to reflect and pause for thought. •

¹ Edibles are edible products that contain cannabinoids, alkaloids and other substances. They are promoted as natural products that do not need to be inhaled.
² Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, alongside tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
³ According to Swissmedic of 1 May 2025, the therapeutic potential of CBD or other cannabinoids has not yet been scientifically proven or is insufficiently proven for most of the numerous areas of application circulating on the internet.
⁴ Kobe, Robert. “Lucerne City Council says yes to cannabis legalisation.” In: Luzerner Zeitung of 5 November 2025
⁵ “Cannabis in medicine.” In: Natürlich of 7 November 2025; www.natuerlich-online.ch
⁶ Kellenberger, Markus. “Hemp – a medicinal plant between ritual and ecstasy”. In: Natürlich of 4 November 2025; www.natuerlich-online.ch
⁷ Hobi, Karin. “Cannabis delivery in Graubünden: pilot project awaiting green light from federal government.” In: Südostschweiz of 28 October 2025
⁸ sda. “New drug consumption room off to a good start.” In: Limmattaler Zeitung of 5 November 2025
⁹ Crack is a narcotic drug made from cocaine salt and baking soda. It is smoked in small pipes and takes effect extremely quickly (in about 8 to 10 seconds). Crack has a massive impact on brain chemistry and is therefore considered, alongside methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, for example, to be the drug with the highest potential for addiction.
¹⁰ Papaux, Sven. “Le crack n’a jamais été aussi bon marché” et Lausanne trinque. In: watson of 6 November 2025; www.watson.ch/fr
¹¹ Lahrtz, Stephanie. “Crack epidemic: Geneva addiction researchers prepare Europe’s first cocaine distribution programme for addicts”. In: NZZ am Sonntag of 30 November 2025
¹² “Submarine in the Atlantic with 1.7 tonnes of cocaine”. In: Die Botschaft, 5 November 2025
¹³ cf. Vögeli, Erika. “Jeanne Hersch: Being human in the here and now. On her 100th birthday”. In: Zeit-Fragen-Dokumentation of July 2010, p. 1