Repression 2024: the new figures on prosecution

Hemp repression has collapsed, so to speak. In 2014/15, there were still highs of around 65,000 recorded offenses per year, but since then the figures have only gone in one direction: down. And this is really massive: 2024 no longer has 15,000 reports. A blatant development!

The year 2024 has once again massively undercut 2023: Down from 15,680 infringement notices to 11,367, another drop of almost 28%.

What should we call this? Capitulation? Disinterest? In any case: The police have largely given up prosecution on cannabis. In the Basler Zeitung of 25.3.25, various voices from the police confirm this: fewer controls, lack of specialists, limited resources, concentration on serious cases. That may sound nice, but it also means that the black market can do almost anything it wants. This is because misdemeanor also went down from 3,937 to 3,328, a drop of over 15 %. Instead of just letting things run their course and giving synthetic THC-like substances more and more space (with a great potential for danger), it would be much more sensible to legalize hash and weed and there would be controlled, clean goods and the money flows would benefit the general public and not feed crime.

This is now the task for the next few years: to take the first step towards legalization. We are looking forward to the draft law that will be published in the summer. Even if it won't be perfect: There won't be anything better in the next 10 to 20 years. We must do everything we can to ensure that at least this, albeit restrictive, variant can be realized.

Attention! Even though the probability of being reported to the police has fallen massively, if you are caught, you will be prosecuted just as harshly as before. This never ceases to amaze those affected!

Source: Police crime statistics (Federal Statistical Office), graphical representations by us. “Weed” includes the categories cannabis, marijuana, hemp (young plant, dried plant, fresh plant), hemp seeds. “Hash” contains the categories hashish oil, hashish and synthetic cannabinoids. The substance was not recorded at fixed penalties.

Contraventions represent the lower level of illegality. This involves the consumption of cannabis and the necessary preparatory acts (purchase, possession, cultivation, import, etc.). Contraventions are punished either with fixed penalty or with a fine and fees.

This graphic as PDF

Misdemeanors represent the higher level of illegality. This involves giving away or selling cannabis, i.e. passing it on. Misdemeanors are punished with a fine, fees, monetary penalty in daily rates or, in serious cases, with a prison sentence (conditional or unconditional).

This graphic as PDF

It is a special and somewhat confusing table that the FSO publishes on seizures. Plants appear at hemp seeds, while marijuana is listed in milliliters. Nevertheless, it gives an impression. We compare the figures for 2024 with those from 2023.

We also see a decrease in seizures almost everywhere. The number of seized hemp seeds fell from 23,631 to 7,733, but the figure was 5.79 kg instead of 1.28 kg, which is unclear: is it really all hemp seeds or is it packaging? In any case: hemp seed prosecutions is far from over!

Tens of thousands of hemp plants were still confiscated: slightly fewer young plants, roughly the same number of fresh plants and slightly fewer dried plants.

In the case of hash, however, it went up from 1,195 kg to 1,332 kg and in the case of weed from 2,378 kg to 3,494 kg. Although the number of seizures continues to fall, the quantities confiscated are increasing.

It is also noteworthy that only 3,953 cases of confiscated weed only 3,953 cases were registered, while 4,745 cases were counted for hashish. This is a first and underlines the (re-)increasing importance of hashish.

The cases of synthetic cannabinoids, or rather cannabinoid mimetics, are not very numerous, but the 172 kg seized are alarming (in 2023 it was still 10.28 kg). This is a really bad development!

This graphic as PDF

In 2009, the ratio of hash to weed was 1 to 7.5. The figures then fell sharply, especially for weed, while they remained at a similar level for hash despite fluctuations. The ratio of hash to weed thus approached 1 to 1.25 in 2024.

This page as PDF

We also see a similar picture for those convicted for misdemeanor: the figures for weed collapsed, while the figures for hash remained relatively constant. This means that the ratio between hash and weed was 1 to 7.3 in 2009 and 1 to 1.18 in 2024.

This page as PDF

The proportion of under-20s charged with hashish increased from 20% to over 40%, a doubling during the 16 years of the statistics. The proportion of people under 20 years of age charged with weed fell from just under 40% to around 20%.

This page as PDF