Cannabis as a hope for patients with chronic pain, spasticity and cramps: The first cannabis flowers have been available by prescription in Swiss pharmacies since December, nearly four months after the federal government lifted the ban on medicinal purposes. Since then, doctors in Switzerland are free to prescribe narcotics. Raw materials still come from abroad. However, medical cannabis is expected to grow in Thurgau soon.
Medical cannabis as a new mainstay
A sweet scent hangs in the air at Schönenberg TG. This is where TB Farming AG grows cannabis. Since 2016, cannabis plants converted into industrial products and recreational consumption have been blooming in their warehouses on Thursday. Its cultivation and sale is legal in Switzerland as long as the flowers contain no more than one percent of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. So these plants won’t blow you away.
There has been a gold rush in the industry for a long time. Ever since the federal government allowed the cultivation and sale of CBD cannabis plants, new companies have literally proliferated. TB Farming has grown up to 50 hectares of outdoor cannabis at approximately peak times. But the excitement did not last long: two years ago the Swiss market collapsed. It was a wake-up call for general manager Mike Toniolo (40). He co-founded a company with Dutch cannabis pioneer Ben Dronkers for the pharmaceutical distribution of cannabis products. A research license has also been obtained from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) to work with psychoactive cannabis.
Marijuana should get away from the bad image
With the amendment made in the law in August, the production and distribution of cannabis with high THC content for medical purposes has become de facto possible. TB Farming and Dronkers Group offer the first medicinal flowers now available in pharmacies under the name Cymphonia. The THC content of the two cannabis strains is 18 percent and 24 percent, respectively. They come from the Netherlands and Denmark. They are controlled and stored by the Herisau-based pharmaceutical company Hänseler, which also produces CBD and THC extracts from the company’s cannabis raw materials. Toniolo wants to clearly distinguish the medicinal product from recreational use: “It is important for me not to confuse this. There are completely different requirements.” Anyway, he hopes the new law will eventually change the bad image of marijuana.
But the job doesn’t end with distribution: Toniolo’s company was also the first in Switzerland to receive a license from Swissmedic to grow medical cannabis. At the end of January, the first planting of medicinal THC flowers will begin at Schönenberg TG. For this purpose, the warehouse, which was originally used for drying outdoor flowers, will be expanded to two floors. The investment is also valuable, as the new guidelines also allow for exports. “We have a long contract with a pharmaceutical company in Germany,” says Toniolo. The neighboring country is the largest medical cannabis sales market in Europe.
Many pain sufferers are addicted to cannabis
Toniolo doesn’t want to talk too much about money. Much more important to him is the benefit of patients, who now have easier access. Previously, they needed a special permit to purchase THC extracts from pharmacies. For many affected, this is not a solution: “According to studies, THC drops have significantly lower bioavailability. They also take longer to reach the body,” says Toniolo. People with epilepsy or spasticity rely on flowers to relieve their pain. So far, these have only been on the black market or at home. was available from cultivation – now completely legal in pharmacies, and soon with flowers from Switzerland.