The capital of Switzerland is considering launching a pilot program to test the legal sale of cocaine for recreational use in a never-before-done attempt to make the country’s rampant use of the drug safer.
Bern’s parliament supports the pilot program but the legislation will still need to overcome opposition from the city and requires a change of federal law to become a reality.
The proposal comes as more and more countries and US states are changing their approach to the so-called “war on drugs” with policies including decriminalization and legal recreational use of marijuana.
Supporters argue that legalization allows for greater control over the market and safer usage if people use the drugs illegally anyway.
“The war on drugs has failed, and we have to look at new ideas,” said Eva Chen, a Bern council member from the Alternative Left Party who co-sponsored the proposal.
“Control and legalization can do better than mere repression.”
Several European countries like Spain, Italy and Portugal no longer issue prison sentences for drug possession charges, including possession of cocaine.
But the proposal in Bern would be the first to make the white powder legal for recreational use, a radical step in drug policy if it goes through.
Wealthy Swiss cities have some of the greatest amounts of cocaine usage among European cities, according to wastewater studies analyzing the presence of illicit drugs. Zurich, Basel and Geneva are all among the top 10 cities for cocaine use in Europe.
Drug use in those cities and Bern has only been increasing as prices of cocaine have dropped dramatically over the last five years, according to the group Addiction Switzerland.
“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.
“You can get a dose of cocaine for about 10 francs these days, not much more than the price for a beer.”
The pilot program is still far from implementation with important details like who would sell the drug and how it would be sourced still under development, according to Chen.
“We are still far away from potential legalization, but we should look at new approaches,” she said. “That is why we are calling for a scientifically supervised pilot scheme trial.”
The education, social affairs and sport directorate is currently drafting a report on the possible trial.
Still, many are weary of legalizing the drug which can be highly addictive and even deadly.
“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,” the Bern government said.
Experts on drug use outside of the government also have differing opinions.
Cocaine isn’t comparable to legal substances like alcohol or cannabis due to its greater risk of complications like heart damage, strokes, depression and anxiety, according to Boris Quednow, group leader of the University of Zurich’s Centre for Psychiatric Research.
“Cocaine is one of the most strongly addictive substances known,” Quednow said.
Others say that if people are already using it at record numbers, legalization would allow the government to at least ensure safe usage.
“Cocaine isn’t healthy – but the reality is that people use it,” said Thilo Beck, from the Arud Zentrum for Addiction Medicine. “We can’t change that, so we should try to ensure people use it in the safest, least damaging way.”
Parliament would also need to change the law that bans the use of cocaine before any pilot can be taken off the ground.
With Post wires