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Swiss parliament blocks initiative to legalize cannabis
12/10/07|pr-indie,com| AP press release

BERN, Switzerland (AP) - Switzerland's parliament on Monday blocked a popular initiative to legalize marijuana.
Lawmakers voted 106-70 against the proposal to decriminalize the consumption, possession, purchase and cultivation of cannabis for personal use, which was opened to debate after Swiss citizens' petition collected more than 100,000 signatures.
The center-right majority said it rejected the proposal
to protect children, while opposition deputies said prohibition was creating more problems than it was solving.
The «no» vote was more pronounced than four years ago, when a similar initiative lost 96-89 in the national council.
Health Minister Pascal Couchepin, a passionate advocate of reform in 2003, presented the seven-member executive branch's support for the «no» camp Monday, saying an exception for cannabis was not justified.
Couchepin's remarks came in stark contrast to his argument four years ago that «bans on cannabis and alcohol have always proved a failure.
Socialist deputies and some members of Couchepin's centrist Radical Party said the ban helped fuel a black market for illegal drugs controlled by mafia-style groups that fail to protect the health of minors. They argued that the state should regulate the market.

Although cannabis remains illegal, authorities in many Swiss cantons (states) largely tolerate possession of the drug in small quantities for personal consumption.
Switzerland is one of the most tolerant European countries on drugs. It runs a heroin program that allows addicts to use the drug at approved centers with heroin paid for by the state health insurance system, on the grounds that addiction is an illness rather than a crime.
Swiss citizens can override the government's vote by calling a countrywide referendum, and gaining a national majority as well as a majority in over half of Switzerland's 26 cantons.

 

Buzzby

I've heard that you can buy marijuana in stores in Switzerland, where it's marketed as "cachets", little cloth sacks to be used to scent drawers, closets, and other spaces. As long as it's not called "marijuana" this fabrication is allowed to continue.

Has anyone been there who can confirm whether or not this is true?

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reggie_the_dog

They used to sell cananbis openly in stores. Now they do not, you can easily get heroin from the government, however.

The only canton that still tolerated stores as of last summer was near the town of Bienne/Biel all other cantons have closed their stores and put the trade back on the street. It is very easy to score on the street even in small towns as people smoke in public as if it were legal (I guess after being able to buy cannabis in stores for 10 years, and the fact that you can get heroin from the governement, people see no reason to hide the fact that they smoke. I was in Switzerland this summer and folks smoked more outside than in the Netherlands.

Hashishi

I`ve gotta say, with the UK`s house prices and general crappiness Scandinavia is looking increasingly enticing.

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SWP



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Buzzby

I don't know about Norway and Denmark, but Sweden has the most restrictive drug policy in Western Europe.

 

1tokeovertheline

That is true. Check out this link if you haven't already. It takes you to the Drug Policy Alliance and has some more interesting reading.

Drug Policy Alliance: Sweden

reggie_the_dog

is the coolest for drugs. They closed down pusher street in the Christiana hippie district where there were stands openly selling hash in place for years, but hash is still decriminalized for 10 grams or less in practice I believe in Denmark. Sweden sucks, they can send you up for a failed drug test.

Hashishi

Isn`t Finland part of Scandinavia, too?

In either case, drug policy means nothing to me - we`ve got a bad housing situation in the UK that won`t ever see me owning property without me selling my soul and the healthcare and schools of our Northern brethren are beyond repute.

I also like the idea of Saunas: as in sharing a sauna between a certain number of neighbours as they do up there. The prospect just seems totally win-win to me. ...Apologies for veering off topic again.

reggie_the_dog

Scotland has excellent national health care and free universities. They are part of the UK but since devolution of powers came through they really combatted to reverse the reforms of Thatcher and Major. Housing is also less expensive if you can find work in northern Scotland.