After the Switzerland, France and Austria against synthetic cannabinoids and cannabinoid mimetics, are now planning to Germany and Czechia a comprehensive ban on these substances.
The IG Hanf Schweiz welcomes the planned ban on synthetic cannabinoids and cannabinoid mimetics as an important step in combating the abuse and illegal trade in often contaminated designer drugs.
Ban as a general solution?
Synthetic cannabinoids and cannabinoid mimetics are primarily produced to circumvent the ban on natural cannabis. With each ban, the pressure on the black market to provide and market new, unknown psychoactive substances increases. This business is at the expense of the health of consumers, who are often unaware of the risks of these synthetic drugs.
The repeated listing of synthetic cannabinoids and cannabinoid mimetics shows that the problem of synthetic cannabis substitutes has not yet been effectively solved. Effective health protection can only be ensured in a regulated market for cannabis and cannabis products.
The impact of these bans on research and the economy must also be considered. By banning the core structures of entire groups of chemical substances, naturally occurring cannabinoids are potentially also included, which leads to legal uncertainty and makes research into these substances more difficult.
Legal situation in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the far-reaching Ban of synthetic cannabinoids and cannabinoid mimetics in 2023 will also include cannabinoids that occur naturally in cannabis. For example, the structure of cannabinol (CBN) in Switzerland falls under narcotics law, namely under the definition of "synthetic cannabinoids 2" (cf. Narcotics List Ordinance, BetmVV-EDI, Appendix 6. List e).
Synthetic CBN is listed as a new psychoactive substance and is generally illegal. However, CBN occurs naturally in small quantities in cannabis and can in principle be extracted from the plant. It is not yet clear whether the listing on October 9, 2023 will also ban natural CBN in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, «synthetic cannabinoids» The following substances have been banned since 2023:
Any substance whose structure is derived from 6H-benzo(c)chromen-1-ol (6H-dibenzo(b,d)pyran-1-ol), regardless of the degree of hydrogenation of the non-phenolic benzo ring, by substitution:
- at positions 3, 6 and 9 by any alkyl groups.
These include, for example:
- Delta-8-THC
- CBN
The following substances are prohibited as individual substances:
- delta-8-THCP
- delta-9-THCP
- H4CBD
- THCP
- HHC
- HHCP
Not affected by the listing in Switzerland:
- CBG
- CBD
- CBC
What are synthetic cannabinoids?
Synthetic cannabinoids and Spice: drug profile | www.emcdda.europa.eu