That doesn’t happen every day in Switzerland! A powerful Colombian drug lord will stand trial in Basel next week. Alvaro H.* (47) is said to have smuggled tons of cocaine from Colombia to Europe from Basel.
The white powder is popular in this country: in European comparison, the Swiss consume a lot of coke. St. Gallen, Zurich, Basel and Geneva were even among the top ten European cities with the highest per capita consumption of cocaine in 2021.
Two grams of cocaine is allowed in St. Gallen
While drug use has gone unpunished in Portugal, for example, for more than two decades, Swiss drug policies are still strict: only in the canton of St Gallen were drugs decriminalized over three years ago – as possession of two grams of cocaine and heroin is illegal. Allowed.
Otherwise, the purchase, trade and consumption of all drugs is prohibited. Only in the case of cannabis are a few grams exempt from punishment for personal use. Scientifically supported pilot tests with adult cannabis users will also start this year in several Swiss cities.
Federal Councilor Cassis once for the legalization of coke
In the past, there have been repeated attempts to decriminalize hard drugs as well. For example, Ignazio Cassis (61) pleaded explicitly for the legalization of cocaine before his election as a member of the Federal Council. “A regulated market is the best way to fight drug abuse,” the former Ticino canton doctor told the “Aargauer Zeitung” in 2017.
Cassis is not the only liberal to advocate a change in drug policy. For example, the FDP of the city of Zurich wanted to legalize hard drugs in small quantities, but so far without success. And the Young Liberals are also committed to legal access to cocaine, ecstasy and other drugs.
Prohibitions do nothing
One of the most prominent advocates of a liberal drug policy is Andrea Caroni (42), a member of the Appenzeller Free Democratic Party (FDP). If he had his way, the first step would be to evaluate the cannabis pilot trials. Then he could imagine similar experiments with cocaine. “Cocaine should not be banned across the board, but should be regulated, its supply monitored and the population educated,” says Caroni. The protection of minors is central.
The Bernese middle national councilor Heinz Siegenthaler (67) also has little interest in prohibitions. That is why he submitted a motion to the House of Representatives that no longer prohibits cannabis, but wants to regulate the market again. Although he doesn’t want to equate hard drugs like cocaine with cannabis, he says: “It’s the wrong approach to combat drug use with prohibition.” Enough experts and studies have shown that such bans would not help.
Andrea Geissbühler suspects salami tactics
The Bernese SVP country council member Andrea Geissbühler (46) does not want to know anything about the legalization of any substance. “The easier it is to get drugs, the more you consume them,” says the co-chair of the umbrella organization drug abstinence Switzerland. For Geissbühler it is clear that not parliament should decide on such important issues, but at least the people. The goal should be an efficient, healthy childhood.
Moreover, the salami tactic argument often comes from the camp of opponents of liberalization. Knowing that moving forward too quickly can be counterproductive, serious efforts to legalize hard drugs are unlikely to be made as long as the use and sale of cannabis is not legal. The demand could not get a majority anyway at the moment.
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