Our interest: THC

Many people use THC containing products medicinally or recreationally. But hash and weed are still illegal. Therefore, THC users face a variety of problems. We, the Legalize it! association, help people who use THC products with legal questions. For this purpose we offer personal consultations and written information.

We follow the political development surrounding hemp in Switzerland and publish our evaluations of it. Ultimately, we want to achieve the complete legalization of hemp - even if the path there remains long.

Our main topics can be reached via the six headings in the navigation at the top of the page (or in the hamburger menu on your cell phone). The quick navigation leads to the respective sub-topics of a main topic (here to the latest news from our association, the prosecution and politics). Below you will find all current information from the Legalize it! association.

News

24.08.2026 – Three Years of Hanfstübli

Our Hanfstübli project (part of the pilot project “Züri Can –Cannabis with Responsibility”) has now been running for three years. At the end of August 2023, we were able to sell our first bags of cannabis.

Since then, we’ve sold over 52 kg of tested and legal products there, conducted more than a thousand consultations, loaned out vaporizers, and gained countless insights: What are legal Swiss outdoor flowers and hash like? Is a 20% THC limit acceptable? How do participants rate the product lineup? How do the processes work between the FOPH, project management, the Medicines Control Agency, manufacturers, and testing labs? How do we cope with all the regulations and bureaucracy?

Yes, it was and still is a lot of work, and it requires patience time and again. But it’s very gratifying to see that it’s possible: despite all the regulations and red tape, it can be done, and the participants are very happy that they finally have a legal way to obtain it. For that reason alone, the effort was certainly worth it.

The project will now continue for two more years, until October 2028. The participants hope that a follow-up solution will be developed by then so they won't have to resort to the black market again. We will do everything we can to make that happen.

18.08.2026 – Our List of Companies

In addition to our members, we also have company members. We list them on our company list.

If you'd like to buy something, please consider these addresses!

13.08.2026 – End of vacation: Back to normal office hours

Our (partial) vacation is over, and we can be reached again as usual:

By email: li@hanflegal.ch
New members are welcome to sign up here: hanflegal.ch/join
By phone: 079 581 90 44, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays (always in the afternoon)

We'd also be happy to schedule a phone call or set up a meeting at the office outside of these hours.

Our upcoming activities:

We are currently working on Legalize it! 111 (shipping in early September).
The next members' meeting will take place on August 21 (topic: politics).
At the end of August, we'll be celebrating the third anniversary of our Hanfstübli.

07.08.2026 – Meeting Rescheduled

We have to postpone our members' meeting because of the heat. It looks like it will be very hot through the 14th, and our office will be just the same. That's why we're postponing our members' meeting to August 21, and we hope that by then the temperature in the office will be back below 30 degrees.

22.06.2026 – Our Archive: From Analog to Digital

A year ago, we began digitizing our previously analog archive spanning the last four decades. At first, the goal was simply to replicate the structure of the cardboard folders and tabs, as well as the clear pockets inside them, in digital form.

But we soon realized: OCR recognition is feasible, as is date recognition using AI – and it works quite well even with handwritten dates… Our association’s AI can now also search through, gather, and summarize information spanning decades. It’s truly amazing how much more accessible our archive has become thanks to digitization.

But even our association’s AI isn’t infallible: Now we have to verify the suggested dates. That requires additional human effort. Even though no one knows where the AI journey will take our society, one thing is certain: we must not trust it blindly. Critical scrutiny and oversight are always necessary.

16.06.2026 – A Note from us: Sven receives the 2026 CannAward for his Lifetime Achievement

For over 35 years, Sven Schendekehl has been advocating for the legalization of hemp in Switzerland.

As a founding member, he and others laid the groundwork in 1990–91 for what is now Association Legalize it!
He has remained actively involved throughout this time and helped shape the Swiss hemp scene: for over 35 years as a board member and later as secretary.
To this day, he remains active as an author, consultant, educator, speaker, and general expert on the legal status of hemp and THC in Switzerland.

At this year’s CannaTrade, he was awarded the CannAward Lifetime Achievement 2026. We on the board would also like to extend our warmest congratulations and wish him all the best and much strength for the future — until full legalization! Legalize it!

Video: Award Ceremony & Acceptance Speech (YouTube)

09.06.2026 – Magazine Legalize it! No. 110 is published & No. 109 is online

Our members are currently receiving the latest issue 110 of our magazine Legalize it!
The summer issue contains the Minutes of our association meeting 2026 and a first look at the persecution figures for 2025 with the question of whether repression is coming to an end. We also provide an overview of the results of the CanPG consultation process. The complete magazine will be available as a PDF from September.
Become a member so that you are always up to date (e.g. also by e-mail) – this enables our activities and supports Association. Legalize it!

We have also published another issue of our magazine Legalize it! as PDF. The Issue 109 is now available for download both as a whole and as individual articles in the Politics and Scene sections. The current issue (#110) is still reserved for our members.

02.06.2026 – Züri Can extended until 2028

Good news! The city of Zurich has announced that the Züri Can pilot project will be extended by two years. This means that our Hanfstübli project will continue until October 2028. We are very pleased that we can continue to sell legal, tested goods to our participants.

Despite all the joy, we are also asking ourselves the question: What will happen in 2028? The Ordinance on Pilot Trials (BetmPV) only allows a single extension, so Züri Can, like all other extended pilot projects, cannot be extended again under current law.

After the end of the pilot projects, thousands of users would have to return to the black market. We want to prevent this and are in the process of developing options for a bridging solution.

11.05.2026 – Draft CanPG is being revised

The National Council's Social Security and Health Committee (SGK-N) met surprisingly quickly on May 6-8 to discuss (among other things) the consultation responses to the CanPG. You can find their evaluation report on the consultation here. In its press release of May 8, it states: “With 16 votes to 8 and 1 abstention, the committee decided to continue the work (…).”

Its subcommittee is now to examine the main points of criticism: more protection of minors, more resources for the cantons, simplifying enforcement, reconsidering online sales. This work is to be completed “in the course of this year”. This delay pushes the CanPG project further into the future.

It will therefore come too late for the participants in the pilot projects: So they will have to return to the black market. We are in the process of developing a bridging solution to prevent this from happening.

05.05.2026 – 30 years Shit happens

In spring 1996, we published the first edition of our legal overview Shit happens. In the 30 years since then, we have constantly dealt with the prosecution of cannabis in Switzerland. We have collected summary penalty orders, provided legal information to those affected and graphically presented the number of convictions.

In 2025, there were still almost 20,000 cannabis-related offenses reported. Although fewer than before (the peak was over 70,000 per year), many people are still affected by prosecution of hemp every year. Especially now in spring, hemp seed orders are an issue, and there are constant inquiries about THC and road traffic.

You are welcome to order a copy of the current edition of our Shit happens or download it here as a PDF. For personal information, we can be reached by telephone on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays in the afternoon: 079 581 90 44. We are also happy to provide advice in our office.

14.04.2026 – Narcotics statistics 2025: preview

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) had already published the Narcotics statistics (BMS) for the year 2025 at the end of March. However, the «big table», which we have always used for our analysis, will not be submitted until the summer. We hope that the data will still be comparable with the older years after the revision…

However, the available figures for the «selected cases» show a familiar picture: the progressive shrinking of «countable» repression. Even in 2025, the numbers have fallen again and are now at a fifth of the record year 2015 with the seed persecution at that time.

Will repression soon be over? Hardly: the 13,369 criminal offenses across Switzerland in 2025 still mean an average of over 36 cases a day involving only cannabis products (without a combination, see chart). The number of cases in combination with other substances is relatively low and is particularly visible in the case of consumption offenses.

In our upcoming summer issue of the Legalize it! No. 110 we will report in more detail on last year's figures. In doing so, we will look at both the seized cannabis products and selected cannabis offenses in combination with other substances.

Become a member and stay up to date!

16.03.2026 – Realize projects

We want to create majorities for an improvement in the legal situation of hemp in Switzerland. We hold lectures, distribute flyers, create videos, organize campaigns: Different approaches are needed. If you want to do something, develop a project and submit it!

A project has the following three parts:

Goal What is your idea? What is it about? What do you want to do? What do you want to achieve? What is the deadline or timetable for this?
People Who is doing this? What are you willing and able to do? Can you do it alone, do you have other active people, are you still missing active people?
Funds How much money are you bringing in? How much is still missing? What other resources do you need?

It is best to summarize these three points on one A4 page so that interested parties can read your project as quickly as possible. If you have trouble with this: Our secretary Sven will be happy to help!

23.02.2026 – Hanfstübli for 2.5 years

Our Hanfstübli (part of the Zurich pilot project Züri Can) has now been open for 2.5 years. We have been able to sell 42 kg of tested goods (currently three types of hash and eight types weed) to our almost 150 participants. Ten years ago, something like this would have been completely unimaginable.

No major problems have arisen. Sometimes a strain is out of stock, occasionally someone has to be sent home because their student ID has been forgotten (without this, there is no sale).

There is an exchange among the participants about considered consumption that is appropriate to the situation. The participants are happy that they no longer have to buy untested goods on the black market.

It is real proof that controlled cannabis sales are possible. With some effort, of course: the work has to be very clean, every bag of 5 grams has to be registered, the strict regulations require a complete inventory every month. But it works!

09.02.2026 – Consultation responses CanPG

The overview of the consultation responses to the Cannabis Products Act (CanPG) was published at the beginning of February. It's a big chunk: the PDF comprises 2,830 pages.

Many cantons want more money for their work, some parties are fundamentally against it, and a number of responses want minor or major changes… This is unlikely to move forward quickly.

Above all, we can see that although the CanPG was well thought out during its development, majority support was not the main approach. Now it remains to be seen which parts of it can find a majority in parliament.

In our policy group, we look at such documents together and develop projects to improve the current situation. If you would like to join us, please get in touch!

19.01.2026 – Cannabis for multiple sclerosis

A new book has been published on the subject of cannabis in MS: How THC gave my legs wings.

This book is both an experience report on the treatment of multiple sclerosis with medical cannabis, as well as a remembrance of the author, who has since passed away, who was able to make her suffering more bearable with hemp medicine.

Esther was a member of our Association for many years. After her death, her sister has now been able to publish this book. Click on the picture to go to the Nachtschattenverlag, where you can order the book.

03.12.2025 – 30 years of Sven as secretary – Thanks to all!

I started as secretary of our association in January 1996. I was 26 years young. It was the time of the scented bags (hemp herb not for narcotics production) and the hemp shops. It was also the beginning of the last big political cycle that wanted to make hemp legally available in Switzerland. After a wild period with hundreds of hemp shops, this approach failed in 2004 because the National Council simply did not want to debate it. Then came the dark years, as I call them: repression, repression, repression.

I have experienced a lot in these 30 years: What prosecution can do, what is (not) legally possible. Also the introduction of the fixed penalties for observed consumption, the fight for exemption from punishment for small quantities, the hemp seed prosecutions from 2015, the gradual easing of restrictions for medicinal hemp and the start of the pilot projects, where we run a dispensary and I received a license to sell legally. The next big political cycle is now underway and I'm very excited to see where it leads!

I have been able to help many people: With our Shit happens on the legal situation and our legal information on hanflegal.ch. In addition, there were countless personal consultations on how to deal with repression, where I was able to explain the legal situation to many people and help them to make better statements or develop a different, less conspicuous way of dealing with hemp. It was also very satisfying that we managed to clarify the non-confiscability of a small quantity before the Federal Court.

There have also been many very difficult moments in these 30 years. Financially in particular, it was always extremely tight. But we have avoided these pitfalls every time, albeit by the skin of our teeth. I would like to thank all our members for this: for their membership fees and donations. I would especially like to thank the members who dug deep into their own pockets and helped out with large donations at times of crisis. None of this would have been possible without you!

I am now 56 years old. Will we manage to legalize it by the time I retire? It's not certain that the CanPG will pass. But maybe at least part of it will come into force? It will remain interesting in any case. It would be nice if we could finally consign this wretched prohibition regime to the dustbin of history. It's about time!

18.11.2025 – Thoughts on fall

Autumn is coming to an end, it's getting cold. The plants outside have been harvested, most of them have probably already dried. I hope only a few have run into legal problems. Repression is a lot weaker than it used to be, even though it still affects thousands of people every year.

Some harvests are now legal: the production for the pilot trials is a first sign that the entire use of hemp could become legal. The draft Cannabis Products Act CanPG is now available. Even if it proposes a very cumbersome regulation: The entire process from cultivation to sale would thus be legally possible.

The evaluation of the consultation responses will show next year whether majorities can be found for this. In any case, nothing is in the bag yet. I hope that everyone will manage to work towards its success. Even if not everyone likes everything.

Ultimately, the CanPG will only be one step towards legalization, albeit an extremely important one. A few more steps will have to follow. It is a long process to leave the decades-old ban behind us.

22.09.2025 – Paying without guilt

Today an extremely special story from road traffic. It shows that even if you don't consume anything, you still have to pay high costs if the police have suspicions: A driver is checked, all tests are negative, medical examination positive, but costs of around 1,500 francs and the legal expenses insurance doesn't really want to take action…

But read for yourself: Road traffic: Paying without guilt. A really unpleasant story!

26.08.2025 – Current documents on the criminal prosecution

Many people cannot imagine being involved in criminal proceedings for THC. Most of the time, everything goes well: be it consumption, sale, driving… However, well over 10,000 people are involved in such criminal proceedings for hemp every year. We have posted some current documents from 2025 that show how such criminal proceedings can end.

We are always interested in documents (summary penalty orders, decrees, protocols, investigations and experience reports). Because the law is one thing, but the actual implementation can only be seen in the sentencing orders issued by the public prosecutor's offices. You are welcome to email them to us, bring them to us or send them to us via WhatsApp or Threema (see the information in the footer of this page).

You can find the archive of all contributions in the section Association.