The municipal council of the Swiss capital Bern voted on Thursday to extend the trial sale of cannabis to cocaine. The drug will not be immediately legalized, however, without the federal government’s permission.
The motion, which was introduced by the Alternative Left party, passed by 43 votes to 18, Swiss news outlet SRF reported on Friday. The motion was opposed by center-right and religious councilors, but supported by leftists and some members of the center-left Social Democratic Party.
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Bern voted last year to test the controlled sale of cannabis, and was granted permission by the federal government last month. Cannabis sales are expected to begin in Bern this fall, and have already started in Basel, Zurich, and Lausanne.
Noting that the federal government only agreed to allow cannabis sales after significant pressure from multiple cities, Bern Social Director Franziska Teuscher said her city would not push the government to act on cocaine, and that Thursday’s vote instead sent a signal that the city would be open to the idea in future.
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The municipal council of the Swiss capital Bern voted on Thursday to extend the trial sale of cannabis to cocaine. The drug will not be immediately legalized, however, without the federal government’s permission.
The motion, which was introduced by the Alternative Left party, passed by 43 votes to 18, Swiss news outlet SRF reported on Friday. The motion was opposed by center-right and religious councilors, but supported by leftists and some members of the center-left Social Democratic Party.
Bern voted last year to test the controlled sale of cannabis, and was granted permission by the federal government last month. Cannabis sales are expected to begin in Bern this fall, and have already started in Basel, Zurich, and Lausanne.
Noting that the federal government only agreed to allow cannabis sales after significant pressure from multiple cities, Bern Social Director Franziska Teuscher said her city would not push the government to act on cocaine, and that Thursday’s vote instead sent a signal that the city would be open to the idea in future.