In Switzerland, it’s called a „pilot trial.“ What has been running in Lausanne under the project name Cann-L since December 2023 has long since reached the dimensions of a full-fledged model project. Addiction Switzerland and the city administration released a detailed interim report at the end of April that provides concrete figures. Over 1,750 adults from the city area are now registered, an initial cohort of 670 participants has reduced their consumption by an average of 20 percent after 18 months, and the local black market is said to have shrunk by at least two million Swiss francs in revenue.
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What Cann-L Measures and How
Cann-L is one of seven state-approved pilot projects for non-profit cannabis sales in Switzerland. While Zurich’s Züri Can serves as the media flagship and the Ticino project in Vernier represents a smaller comparison group, Cann-L in Lausanne, with currently just under 1,750 adult participants, is the country’s second-largest trial after Zurich. The project is run by the City of Lausanne and the national addiction prevention organization Addiction Switzerland. The scientific evaluation is conducted by the Institute for Nonprofit and Public Management at Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lausanne on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health.
Participants average 36 years old, with three-quarters male. They can purchase flowers and alternative consumption forms at a dedicated sales location. Prices are aligned with the black market, with an average THC content of 12.5 percent—roughly two percentage points below what circulates in Lausanne’s black market, according to the research team. Participants document their consumption, regularly complete questionnaires, and can access affiliated counseling services for medical or psychological concerns.
Consumption Declines, Black Market Shrinks
The findings after just over two years are clear. The scientific evaluation of the first cohort shows an average consumption reduction of 20 percent. Those in the program longer tend to consume less, not more, contradicting fears from many critics that legal access automatically leads to increased consumption. Cann-L now covers approximately 20 percent of Lausanne’s estimated total cannabis consumption, with the black market losing revenue in the same proportion. The officially cited two million francs represents only the lower estimate, based exclusively on quantities documented through the sales location.
Also noteworthy is an effect the project didn’t primarily target. Around one hundred participants have initiated medical contact for the first time or after a long break through the counseling structures—whether for psychological stress, sleep disorders, or consumption questions. The low threshold of a regular sales process opens a door to the care system that remains closed under pure enforcement logic. Similar observations from German pilot projects have been documented in recent months.
Value-Added Tax and Prevention Funds
Cann-L is structured as a non-profit project but operates with transparent accounting. In 2025, more than CHF 60,000 in value-added tax flowed into the federal treasury. Additionally, the project generated around CHF 300,000, which is reinvested in local prevention and accompanying research. These figures are politically significant because they support what may be Switzerland’s strongest argument against the black market. Money that previously disappeared into illegal structures now finances education, medical consultations, and material analysis.
Lausanne’s city government openly argues that Cann-L is no longer a pilot trial in the strict sense, but rather a state-approved market with research oversight. The extension of the Zurich sister project through 2028, decided in mid-April, suggests that Swiss politics shares this logic exactly. A federal Swiss cannabis law remains unlikely before the end of the national pilot phase in 2027 or 2028. However, the findings from Lausanne should noticeably accelerate parliamentary momentum.
What Germany’s Debate Can Learn From This
For German discussions about cultivation associations, model projects, and the planned reform of the medicinal cannabis law, Cann-L is far more than just a Swiss local experiment. The Lausanne data shows that a controlled sales location with lower THC content, counseling support, and transparent accounting can substantially displace the black market without increasing consumption. While Germany’s model projects under the recreational cannabis law continue to await concrete approvals and the Federal Council debates restrictions on telemedicine, Switzerland provides an empirically robust comparison value.
The next interim report is scheduled for early 2027. Until then, it will become clear whether the 20 percent reduction remains stable, whether counseling figures continue to rise, and whether the costs of state oversight can be sustained. Should Cann-L consistently produce such figures, political pressure on the Bern Federal Assembly to convert the pilot model into a regular legal framework would likely grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cann-L pilot project?
Cann-L is a state-approved cannabis pilot project in the Swiss city of Lausanne. It opened in December 2023 and allows adult participants to purchase cannabis products on a non-profit basis at a dedicated sales location. The project is run by the City of Lausanne and Addiction Switzerland, with scientific evaluation conducted by Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lausanne.
How many people participate in Cann-L?
As of late April 2026, over 1,750 adults from Lausanne are registered. The average age is 36 years, with approximately 75 percent of participants male. This makes Cann-L the second-largest of the seven ongoing Swiss pilot projects after Züri Can.
What effect does Cann-L have on cannabis consumption?
An evaluation of the first cohort of 670 people who have been in the program for at least 18 months shows an average consumption reduction of 20 percent. The THC content of flowers distributed through Cann-L averages around 12.5 percent, below the local black market level of approximately 14.5 percent.
What does this mean for the black market in Lausanne?
Cann-L covers approximately 20 percent of estimated cannabis consumption in Lausanne. The local black market loses at least two million francs in revenue based on documented sales figures. The official estimate is considered a lower bound, as only verifiable quantities are recorded.
What significance does Cann-L have for Swiss cannabis policy?
Data from Lausanne supports arguments for federal regulation of the cannabis market. In mid-April, Zurich already extended its Züri Can pilot project through 2028. Should Cann-L and the other six pilot projects demonstrate stable reductions, health improvements, and tax contributions, political pressure would grow to convert the model into a regular legal framework.
Further Reading on This Topic
- Cannabis Regulation in Switzerland: SGK-N Refers Proposal Back to Subcommittee
- 56 Million Years Old: World’s Oldest Cannabis Plant Discovered in Saxony-Anhalt
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