Advertising
Narcotics advertising banned
Advertising of narcotics — which includes all cannabis at or above 1.0% THC — is prohibited under the Narcotics Act. CBD products below the threshold may be marketed, but health or medical claims are not permitted and are policed under food and therapeutic-products law. Event sponsorship and lifestyle marketing for THC products are effectively banned.
Homegrow
Home cultivation of THC cannabis prohibited
Cultivating cannabis with 1.0% THC or more is illegal in Switzerland, even a single plant for personal use, and can be prosecuted under the Narcotics Act. CBD hemp varieties below the threshold may be grown legally. In practice small-quantity cultivation is often handled with fines, but it is not decriminalized.
Medical
Medical use by prescription
Medical cannabis is available by prescription, most commonly as magistral (pharmacy-prepared) preparations such as tinctures and oils; a few finished products (e.g. Sativex, Epidyolex) are authorized medicines. Since 2022, prescriptions no longer require an exceptional FOPH authorization, which simplified access considerably. Reimbursement by health insurers is decided case by case and is not guaranteed.
Possession
Small amounts decriminalized
Adults caught with under 10 g of cannabis face a fixed fine (CHF 100) rather than criminal prosecution, a regime in place since 2013. Cannabis with 1.0% THC or more remains a narcotic under the BetmG, so possession above the small-amount threshold can still be prosecuted. Consumption itself can also be fined, and cantons apply the rules with some local variation.
Retail Sale
CBD retail legal; THC retail only in pilot trials
CBD products below 1.0% THC are sold legally and widely available, regulated under food, cosmetics or tobacco-product law depending on the format. Adult-use THC cannabis may only be sold inside authorized scientific pilot trials (WeedCare in Basel-Stadt, ZüriCan in Zurich, SCRIPT and others) to registered participants resident in the trial canton. Commercial recreational retail outside these trials remains prohibited.
Thc Limits
1.0% THC threshold
The 1.0% total THC threshold determines whether a cannabis product falls under the Narcotics Act. Products below 1.0% are outside narcotics law but may be regulated as foodstuffs, cosmetics or tobacco substitutes depending on how they are sold. This threshold is stricter than the 0.2–0.3% common elsewhere in Europe, which is why Switzerland has a large legal CBD market.
Recent changes
Swiss pilot trials (Basel-Stadt, Zurich, Geneva and others) continue to enroll participants — the data will shape a future national legalization law.