Weed Care Basel: What the New Study Examined
The research was published in early September in the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Lead author Eva-Maria Pichler from the Aargau Psychiatric Services, who also conducts research at Paracelsus Medical Private University in Salzburg, oversaw the work. Researchers from Basel’s psychiatric community, including Marc Walter and Marc Vogel, also contributed.
📑 Inhaltsverzeichnis
The analysis included 374 participants with pharmacy access. The average age was 35.8 years, with 81 percent identifying as male. Products distributed contained a maximum of 20 percent THC, with monthly quantities capped at 10 grams of THC. Participants received counseling from pharmacy staff and completed repeated surveys. Researchers compared baseline values with those after one year using linear mixed models.
Weed Care is no stranger to our readers. The Basel trial began in early 2023, and we reported on the interim results of the Weed Care project in April 2025. At that time, only data from a press release was available. This new publication marks the first peer-reviewed analysis on this topic.
Results for Mental Health
On average, depressive symptoms as measured by the PHQ-9 questionnaire declined from 5.37 to 4.53 points. Anxiety scores and problematic use metrics also decreased slightly. These reductions were statistically significant but modest. The most pronounced decline in problematic use occurred among participants who showed high CUDIT-R screening scores at baseline.
Consumption patterns presented a mixed picture. After one year, participants used cannabis slightly more frequently than at baseline. However, total consumption volume did not increase. This contradicts widespread concerns that legal access automatically drives higher consumption.
One finding tempers the positive news. The proportion of individuals exceeding clinically relevant thresholds remained nearly unchanged. Possible problematic use declined from 32.7 to 28.6 percent, but the difference was not statistically clear. Those with treatment-warranted symptoms at baseline typically retained them afterward.
Study Limitations: No Control Group in This Analysis
The overall Weed Care project employs a randomized design. However, this published analysis examines only the pharmacy access group. A parallel comparison group was not included. The authors themselves acknowledge that no causal conclusions can be drawn from their data. Whether the pharmacy intervention produced the modest improvements remains uncertain.
Participant selection poses another limitation. Only adults who already consumed cannabis regularly could participate. The study provides no information about newcomers or adolescents. According to analysis in Hanfjournal, the time factor explained less than one percent of observed differences. The vast majority of variation reflected stable individual differences among participants.
Overall, the study does not demonstrate a health benefit from pharmacy dispensing. However, it contradicts the assumption that regulated access worsens mental health under these conditions. For broader context on cannabis and mental illness, our overview of myths, facts, and risk groups regarding cannabis and psychosis presents the current state of research.
Context: Swiss Pilot Projects and the Situation in Germany
The Basel findings complement data from Bern, Biel, and Lucerne. The SCRIPT study released its first interim report just days ago, which we analyzed in our article Cannabis from Pharmacies: What the Swiss SCRIPT Interim Report Shows. Unlike Weed Care, SCRIPT has not yet been peer-reviewed and published. Both trials currently point in the same direction: no significant increase in consumption under regulated dispensing. Switzerland has discussed such models extensively, as our earlier report on new projects and the SRF Arena debate demonstrates.
Germany lacks comparable data. The second pillar of legalization involving regional pilot projects has not advanced beyond the planning phase. According to the federal government, as of November 2025, the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food had not approved a single scientific pilot study under the Cannabis Consumption Act. Read more about the background in our article on when regional pilot projects will arrive. Swiss studies thus provide insights that are politically demanded but practically not being gathered in Germany.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Basel Weed Care project?
Weed Care is a scientific pilot program run by Canton Basel-Stadt since 2023. Adults who already regularly consume cannabis can purchase cannabis products at selected pharmacies. Dispensing is quantity-limited and conditional on counseling and regular surveys.
Did participants‘ mental health worsen?
No. After one year, depression, anxiety, and problematic use scores were on average slightly lower than at baseline. However, the proportion of people with clinically relevant values remained practically unchanged.
Does the study prove pharmacy dispensing is healthy?
No. The analysis included no comparison group without pharmacy access, precluding any cause-and-effect statements. It merely shows that no decline was measurable under pilot program conditions.
How much cannabis could participants purchase?
Dispensing was capped at 10 grams of THC monthly—measured in active compound, not flower weight. Products could not exceed 20 percent THC and were dispensed by pharmacy staff.
Do similar pilot projects exist in Germany?
Not yet. Separate legislation for regional model projects with commercial dispensing—the so-called second pillar—does not exist. As of November 2025, the responsible federal office had not approved any research projects under the Cannabis Consumption Act. In Germany, legal recreational use is currently only available through home cultivation and cultivation associations.
Note: This article reflects the status as of September 17, 2026, and is not health advice. It makes no efficacy claims about cannabis products.
Sollte Cannabis in der Apotheke für Erwachsene verfügbar sein?
Sources: Pichler EM, Mosandl CF, Kronschnabel J et al.: Recreational cannabis access via pharmacies: A 1-year Swiss study on cannabis use and mental health. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 288 (2026), DOI 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113337 (PubMed 42715655). Hanfjournal, September 16, 2026. Federal Office of Public Health, Overview of approved cannabis pilot projects.
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