The city of Zurich plans to extend its pilot project for regulated cannabis sales until 2028, two years beyond the originally planned date. Dubbed "Züri-Can," the initiative was launched to test alternatives to prohibition and study the social and health effects of legal access to cannabis.
Originally scheduled to end in October 2026 , the extension announced by Zurich City Council will require an additional investment of 800,000 Swiss francs . According to city officials, the continuation of the project aims to consolidate the data collected so far and to further assess the impact of regulated access on public health and the black market.
More than 2,300 participants are currently involved in the study, a number that could increase to 3,000 after the federal government approved an expansion earlier this year. The goal is to include a more diverse group of consumers, particularly women and occasional users , who have been underrepresented until now.
After its first year, the Zurich study, the largest cannabis pilot project in Switzerland , has yielded encouraging results. Researchers observed a significant shift in consumer behavior: more than 90% of participants now purchase their cannabis from licensed pharmacies and specialty stores participating in the project.
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