Comment on VKCS article “Health risk in many foods containing CBD”.

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At the beginning of February, the Association of Cantonal Chemists of Switzerland (VKCS) went public with a media release on CBD-containing foods. The communication left the hemp industry in no good light: 85% of the products were objected to and 73% were even criticized as posing a health risk – without further specification.

Important for our consumers: The tested products of Herba di Berna can all be consumed without health concerns.

IG Hemp, the cannabis industry’s trade association, was aware of the product inspections conducted by the VKCS. However, IG Hemp did not know about the details and results. The information about which products were objected to also did not find its way to the industry association.

As a manufacturing company, quality assurance of our products and consumer protection are important to us. While the VKCS appeals to precisely these values and calls on the manufacturing companies in duty to improve, we see the problem at the regulatory level. At the moment, Swiss cannabis policy is in a state of regulatory chaos that is almost impossible to navigate. Comprehensive regulation also seems sensible to us, but it must be uniform and comprehensible to ensure legal certainty for us. For example, we support the “Postulate Minder”. This proposal, which was adopted by the Council of States last year, aims to make the various forms of the hemp plant more economically viable through coherent, up-to-date regulation. Hopefully, Parliament will remedy this situation as soon as possible so that we, as manufacturing companies, know better which quality guidelines we have to adhere to.

Official statement of IG Hemp

Population survey on cannabis regulation

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At the beginning of July 2021, the FOPH published the results of a population survey on cannabis at a media briefing. The aim of the survey conducted by Sotomo was to know the attitudes of the voting population at the time of the launch of the pilot tests . Does the chosen path meet with approval? Would a possible legalization of cannabis be able to gain majority support? What measures would have to accompany such legalization? The federal government wanted a representative response from the population to questions of this nature.

The results of the population survey were quite sensational. In recent years, the attitude of the population seems to have changed fundamentally. Thus, the path taken is supported by a clear majority, as a new regulation of cannabis legislation is perceived as important or very important by a clear majority. The pilot tests also enjoy broad acceptance, especially in the cities and pilot communities.

However, the change in social values is most clearly reflected in the question of a possible legalization of cannabis: the survey results show that such a legalization has meanwhile become possible for the majority. Two-thirds of respondents were clearly or somewhat in favor of legalization at the time of the survey. Curbing the black market and better consumer protection were the two arguments for legalization that gained the most traction. On the opposing side, concerns were based on a feared trivialization of the drug and possible harm to the adolescent brain.

If legalization becomes an issue, sensible regulation and prevention will also be necessary in the eyes of those respondents who are in favor of such a step. In particular, a well-developed protection of minors is indispensable for a large majority. Comprehensive prevention measures and a restriction of THC content are also supported by more than half. More generally, participants in the study tended to favor rather strict regulation. Just because legalization has gained majority support does not mean that the use and trafficking of cannabis would become an activity beyond all laws.

We were very pleased when we heard about the results of the study. Hopefully this happy news will find its way into politics. Even though there has been a lot of movement in the Federal Parliament recently, the intended revision of cannabis legislation is likely to pick up speed a bit.

Source:
Factsheet on the Sotomo population survey