Association Legalize it Social Club: The Hanfstübli in the making

We have successfully passed the trainings and are working a lot for the Social Club project: planning, admission talks with the participants, preparation of the sales launch. Sales are scheduled to start on August 22, 2023. But there is still a lot to do!

Already in December 2021 we had founded the Association “Legalize it! Social Club”. In March 2022, the city of Zurich granted us the preliminary approval, but only one year later (March 2023) followed the final approval from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

While we were still waiting for the FOPH, Basel started with the first cannabis sales in January 2023. There, half of the total of 374 participants will initially be allowed to buy weed and hash immediately in pharmacies, while the other half will start six months later.

At the end of January 2023, the city invited all social club operators to an online meeting. Here it became clear that the approval process for a club location for consumption takes at least three months (“ordinary procedure”) plus a 30-day objection period, and that of course at the earliest from an elaborated building permit application, which in turn can only be created after the lease agreement has been signed. Then the location must first be reported to the city council, and then to the FOPH. Only 30 days after this notification the first consumption may take place.

So from the time we find a suitable location, it will take at least half a year. Since the study is only designed for three years, this task is pressing.

Furthermore, at this meeting, the city strongly recommended that we look for a person who can support us in the approval process. In the meantime, we have found an appropriate architect.

We also spoke to an expert on the phone about ventilation systems. Here it became clear that we need to find a location that already has supply air and exhaust air, and then we still need a suitable air circulator - cost several thousand francs…

The Municipal Health Services (SGD) organized two trainings for all social clubs and dispensaries. By attending the trainings, one receives a certificate that later entitles one to legally sell study cannabis.

The first training was about the objectives of the study, methodology, duration, data collection, and enrollment and approval of participants. The second training covered cannabis as a recreational drug, product types and ingredients, risk reduction and safer use, and early detection of risky use.

All five active participants in the Social Club project are now officially allowed to sell study cannabis!

On March 1, the city organized a kick-off apéro where we were able to network with the other social club operators. They face the same challenges as we do: Locations are hard to find, the exact requirements and processes are still not entirely clear.

Surprisingly, the city of Zurich announced in a media release on March 22, 2023, the issuance of the permit by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

One day later, in the Tagesanzeiger of March 23, our Sonia was on the cover. Such media coverage is also reflected in the number of hits: On March 23, we had 432 visitors to our website. On average, there are usually about 200 per day.

After receiving the grant, we conducted a survey among the interested parties on our waiting list to find out their needs more precisely and to get a sign of life again. Therefore, we can now better assess the need.

Currently, with 58 members, the assessed need results in 32 pickups per week, all of which we could easily do on a Saturday. Even 50 or 100 pickups should not be a problem.

The two producers SwissExtract and Pure Production are now cultivating. Within the next months, harvesting, processing and packaging will take place, until finally in August the first orders are to be delivered by the producers.

In April, we offered 44 appointments for talks, and in May, more than 50. During these one-on-one talks, we enter the participants into the city's “Züri Can” study software (name, e-mail and telephone number). The software then guides us through a screening questionnaire and subsequently we have to perform and document a THC-positive urine test, and for women also a negative pregnancy test.

If you want to get an idea of how time-consuming it is to participate in the study, you can go to stadt-zuerich.ch/cannabis-projekt and look at the seven steps (!) under “Registration for study participation” and read the linked study information (eight pages!).

Apart from the numerous conditions and restrictions of the study, there is also a lot of preliminary work for participants to do before they can even book an appointment for the interview. Before booking, the person must agree to the conditions of the study, read the study information, register bindingly and pay the membership fee for one year in advance via TWINT through our store. With these steps, all the groundwork is then laid for the cannabis purchase from August.

The city does not issue the study cards for the participants immediately. Instead, we will be sent the first batch of study cards collectively in June. We will then keep these and hand them out at the first cannabis sale.

Also planned for June is an important submission to Councilman Hauri: the consent form for the locations of the social clubs or their point of sale. We are currently planning to sell from our office at Quellenstrasse 25, at least until we have our own location for our club premises.

Due to the long delay of the FOPH approval, the sales start has slipped further and further back. The currently planned start of sales is at the end of August, i.e. after the summer vacations.

As soon as the sale starts, the financial situation of our social club association will change drastically. Even if not a single new member signs up and we start with only 50 study participants, we would generate at least a margin of 3,000 francs per month - conservatively estimated. If the members' needs are generously met, the margin could be almost twice as high.

With this we will rent, furnish and operate our clubhouse as our main expense. Especially at the beginning, we will have to face high expenses, for example for possible necessary alterations or the installation of a ventilation system.

More information about this project: Hanfstübli