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Suetaz

Cannabis debate fails to fire up young Swiss

swissinfo|Gaby Ochsenbein|June 13, 2004

The debate over decriminalising cannabis – slated for discussion in parliament on Monday – has stirred up much passion among adults.

But young people appear unmoved by all the fuss and say they will keep on smoking their joints whatever parliamentarians decide.

Although some say cannabis is a relaxing and harmless pastime, others warn that it can lead to depression and schizophrenia.

But whatever the arguments, smoking dope is a part of many young people’s lives in Switzerland, despite the fact that it is illegal.

It is estimated that a quarter of those aged 15-25 consume cannabis daily or several times a week.

They include 17-year-old Severin from Bern, who smoked his first joint at 14.

His schoolmate, Anna, admits to being an “occasional cannabis smoker” and insists she can control her consumption.

Alex, however, has never tried cannabis. He says there are other ways of having fun and prefers to opt for the occasional beer.

“I don’t need it, I don’t want it and I don’t do it,” he told swissinfo.

Drugs and alcohol

While their opinions differ on the pros and cons of cannabis, all three of them agree on one thing: they say alcohol is also a drug.

“Alcohol changes your mind, so it is a drug,” states Anna. “In my opinion, they [alcohol and tobacco] are legal because they make a lot of money.”

Severin, who likes to juggle a beer and a joint at the same time, insists there should be no distinction between the two.

“Legalise cannabis or also ban alcohol,” he says.

But Alex is less keen to link the two, arguing that alcohol is established in society whereas marijuana is not.

[Suetaznote: Alcohol is 'established' in society because it is legal, marijuana is not 'established' in society because it is illegal! Legalize it and it will be as established as alcohol in no time!]

Yet even he suggests they should both be classed in the same vein and carry a legal age limit of 16.

Facing reality

Faced with the reality of cannabis consumption in Switzerland, the cabinet has argued that the law must change.

The government hopes that by decriminalising the drug, it can better control the cannabis trade and increase measures to protect young people.

Both Anna and Severin toe the government line.

“We already treat it as if it is legal,” says Severin. “We smoke dope when and where we want.”

[Suetaznote: This is happening everywhere, people treating it as if it were legal and smoking it when and where they want. More governments need to clue in to this and legalize it already. There really are no excuses to keep cannabis illegal!]

Anna finds it ridiculous that under the present system young people are registered as criminals if they are found using marijuana.

But thanks to his mother’s grudging indulgence, Severin is able to keep his cannabis habit out of reach of the long arm of the law.

“She doesn’t support it at all,” he says. “But she prefers it if I smoke it at home on the balcony rather than out on the streets where the cops can catch me.”

[Suetaznote: Sounds like a smart Mom. ]


In Brief:

Parliament is due to resume debate on a government proposal put forward in 2001 to allow the consumption and production of cannabis.

Police commanders in Switzerland have called for the decriminalisation of cannabis.

The Teachers’ Association has voiced reservations about the proposal, saying prevention efforts should be stepped up if cannabis becomes legal.

Swiss voters threw out a proposal in 1998 to legalise drugs and allow the sale and purchase of narcotics from state-run outlets and pharmacies.

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Srvflunky420

“But she prefers it if I smoke it at home on the balcony rather than out on the streets where the cops can catch me.”
The lucky bastard, his mom lets him smoke in the house? If my momma ever caught me smokin in the house I wouldnt be around here no more

Suetaz

Cannabis to remain illegal in Switzerland

June 15, 2004 | NZZ Online

Smoking a joint will remain illegal in Switzerland after parliament threw out government proposals to decriminalise cannabis.

The House of Representatives refused by 102 votes to 92 to debate amendments to the drug law – the second time it has dismissed the proposal.

It was the fourth attempt since December 2001 to vote on a government proposal to decriminalise the production and consumption of cannabis for personal use.

The other parliamentary chamber, the Senate, has twice come out in favour of a more liberal drugs policy.

But in last autumn’s session, which came just ahead of parliamentary elections, the House of Representatives dismissed the proposal outright.

Monday’s debate was touted as the last chance for the bill and its rejection means that current drugs legislation – which is 30 years old – will remain unchanged.

Blow

The decision comes as a blow to supporters of a more liberal drugs policy, including Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin, the centre-left Social Democrats and the Green Party.

Thomas Zeltner, director of the Federal Health Office, said he regretted the decision.

“[The rejection of the bill] leads to fears that certain cantons will be tempted to make their own laws, which will create inequality in the country,” said Zeltner.

“We can continue to live with the law, but it does pose problems, particularly concerning cannabis,” he added.

The Social Democrats said in a statement that they were disappointed by the decision, especially as it came on the same day that parliament agreed to lift a century-old ban on absinthe.

The party said that it condemned the "denial of reality which raises doubts about whether we have a pragmatic and efficient public health policy".

Updating the law

Couchepin had argued that it was time to take into account the current situation in Switzerland – some 500,000 people are estimated to smoke dope regularly.

“One cannot act as if they do not exist in the name of an unattainable ideal of abstinence,” Couchepin said during the debate.

Under the government proposal, the consumption of cannabis and possession of cannabis for personal use would no longer have been a criminal offence.

Limited trade in the drug would also have been allowed, but the import and export of cannabis would have remained outlawed.

Police and teachers groups had also come out in favour of decriminalising cannabis.

Both the Swiss Teachers Association and the Federation of Police Employees said they were disappointed with the result.

Michael Graf from the Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Addiction criticised the “lack of courage by politicians” and the “missed opportunity for a real debate”.

Tipping the balance

In the end, the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and a number of parliamentarians from the Centre-right tipped the balance against the revision of the law.

Ruth Humbel Näf from the Committee for Social Security and Health – which was against revising the law - said that young people could only be protected if cannabis remained illegal.

The Christian Democrats said that any liberalisation of the law would send the wrong signal and go against international drug norms.

Näf argued that Switzerland would have become a centre for the trade in drugs had parliamentarians supported the bill.

Here to stay

But the issue is not destined to disappear after Monday’s decision.

The Christian Democrats said that they planned to launch a parliamentary initiative to revise the law according to the four pillars of Switzerland’s drugs policy: prevention, therapy, repression and harm reduction.

The proposal also advocates punishing cannabis consumption by imposing small fines.

The Committee for the Protection of Young People against the Criminalisation of Drugs is also planning to launch a people’s initiative for a “reasonable cannabis policy and efficient protection of young people".

The committee is made up of young Social Democrats and Greens and also includes some supporters of the Christian Democrats and Radicals.

Suetaz

Cannabis supporters vow to continue fight

Reuters | June 16, 2004

Zurich - Swiss supporters of legalizing the use of cannabis vowed Tuesday to fight on for the right to smoke the drug, despite a fourth failure in as many years to get Parliament to decriminalize its consumption.

Parliament rejected the motion on Monday.

The youth wing of Switzerland's Young Liberal Democratic Party said Tuesday that it would soon propose a fresh initiative to allow regulated decriminalization. Christa Markwalder Baer, a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, said the initiative would be similar to the defeated proposal, which would have tolerated smokers buying cannabis from registered outlets.