Switzerland considers plan to legalise COCAINE in world-first trial after being swamped by ‘cheap, high-quality’ drug
THE SWISS capital is considering a world-first scheme that would allow cocaine to be sold recreationally.
The Parliament in Bern have supported this radical approach to the war on drugs – although it could still be blocked as it requires a change in national law.
Switzerland have been re-examining their stance on cocaine after several experts criticised complete bans as ineffective.
The country is also currently in the early stages of trialing the legal sale of cannabis.
“The war on drugs has failed, and we have to look at new ideas,” said Eva Chen, a member of the Bern council from the Alternative Left Party who co-sponsored the proposal.
“Control and legalisation can do better than mere repression.”
Switzerland has one of the highest levels of cocaine use in Europe.
According to the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites measured in waste water, Zurich, Basel and Geneva all featured in the top 10 cities that used cocaine in Europe.
Cities like Bern are also showing increasing usage, while prices of cocaine have halved in the last five years, according to Addiction Switzerland, a non-governmental organisation.
“We have a lot of cocaine in Switzerland right now, at the cheapest prices and the highest quality we have ever seen,” said Frank Zobel, deputy director at Addiction Switzerland.
He said: “You can get a dose of cocaine for about 10 francs these days, not much more than the price for a beer.”
Bern’s education, social affairs and sport directorate is preparing a report on a possible cocaine trial, although this does not mean that the scheme is set in stone.
Bern parliament member Chen said it was too early to say how a pilot scheme would develop, including where the drug would be sold or how it would be sourced.
Chen said: “We are still far away from potential legalisation, but we should look at new approaches.
“That is why we are calling for a scientifically supervised pilot scheme trial.”
While a spokesperson for the Bern government said: “Cocaine can be life-threatening for both first-time and long-term users.
“The consequences of an overdose, but also individual intolerance to even the smallest amounts, can lead to death.”
For a trial to take place, parliament would have to amend the law banning the recreational use of the drug.
The decision could come in a matter of years, or earlier if the current cannabis schemes – where the drug is on sale at pharmacies – show successful results, political experts said.
Any legalisation would be accompanied by quality controls and information campaigns, Chen said, with the approach also reducing a lucrative criminal market.
Experts are divided, with even those in favour of the trial concerned about the potential dangers.
“Cocaine is one of the most strongly addictive substances known,” said Boris Quednow, group leader of the University of Zurich’s Centre for Psychiatric Research.
He said its risks were in a completely different league to alcohol or cannabis, citing links to heart damage, strokes, depression and anxiety.
On the other hand, Thilo Beck, from the Arud Zentrum for Addiction Medicine, the largest centre for addiction medicine in Switzerland, said it was time for a more “grown up” policy towards cocaine.
Beck said: “Cocaine isn’t healthy – but the reality is that people use it, we can’t change that, so we should try to ensure people use it in the safest, least damaging way.”
Leo, a cocaine user from Geneva, told Reuters that legalising the drug would make treatment easier, as well as reduce violence and crime linked to supply.
He added that it would also make it easier to control the quality of the drugs on sale.
Leo said: “Prohibiting drugs doesn’t give good results in terms of health policies and prevention.
“On the contrary, it looks like countries who chose to legalize it or to depenalize drugs, have better results in terms of prevention and global health policies.
“Switzerland has been courageous in its policies with other drugs, so I think the next stage should be the legalisation of cocaine.”
Drugs policies around the world have been evolving in recent years, with many countries deciding to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cocaine, cannabis and the like.
This has been the case in Portugal since 2001, when the government decided to decriminalise the personal use – which they defined as a 10 day supply – of all drugs.
The government implemented the change in an effort to combat drug abuse and reduce drug-related crime – whilst also focusing on treatment.
As a result, the overall numbers of drug users in the country has reportedly decreased.
Other countries like Spain and Italy have followed suit – they also no longer dish out prison sentences for the possession of cocaine.
Although nowhere has gone as far as the proposal under discussion in Bern.
While Portugal, Spain and Italy have also decriminalised the use of cocaine, it remains illegal to sell the drug.
Anyone caught supplying or trafficking the substance could face up to four to 12 years in prison in Portugal, three to six years in Spain, and six to 20 years in Italy.