https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A boom in cheap crack cocaine is posing challenges to Switzerland's permissive drug strategy, not least to Geneva's safe injection rooms. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240130/surge-in-crack-use-challenges-switzerlands-progressive-drug-strategy Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:35:35 +0100 surge-in-crack-use-challenges-switzerlands-progressive-drug-strategy The Swiss capital Bern has voted in favour of a scientific pilot trial for controlled cocaine sales. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230607/swiss-city-of-bern-wants-to-test-controlled-sale-of-cocaine Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:36:47 +0200 swiss-city-of-bern-wants-to-test-controlled-sale-of-cocaine Switzerland, which pioneered prescription heroin and safe injection sites decades ago, is now experimenting with decriminalising recreational cannabis, with the drug now available in some Basel pharmacies. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230327/switzerland-tries-slow-mo-cannabis-revolution Mon, 27 Mar 2023 19:46:23 +0200 switzerland-tries-slow-mo-cannabis-revolution Binge drinking is on the rise across the country - particularly amongst women - while the use of cocaine and ecstasy in Swiss cities is among the highest in Europe. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200205/swiss-world-leaders-in-cocaine-and-ecstasy-use Wed, 05 Feb 2020 12:37:05 +0100 swiss-world-leaders-in-cocaine-and-ecstasy-use For the past 27 years, Switzerland has been dispensing heroin to addicts. How does this innovative project work? https://www.thelocal.ch/20210819/explained-what-is-switzerlands-heroin-distribution-programme Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:10:23 +0200 explained-what-is-switzerlands-heroin-distribution-programme Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis has decided to halt a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, citing problems in recruiting enough patients for the study of the controversial drug. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200621/swiss-giant-novartis-halts-covid-19-hydroxychloroquine-study Sun, 21 Jun 2020 10:21:31 +0200 swiss-giant-novartis-halts-covid-19-hydroxychloroquine-study Cocaine weighing an estimated 140 kilograms was found in several banana boxes at Coop supermarkets across Switzerland. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200620/switzerland-140-kilograms-of-cocaine-found-in-coop-banana-boxes Sat, 20 Jun 2020 14:24:53 +0200 switzerland-140-kilograms-of-cocaine-found-in-coop-banana-boxes Switzerland’s National Council has approved a plan to start cannabis trials for recreational use. If it is to be legalised however, the government says it must be organic and grown locally. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200603/switzerland-green-lights-recreational-marijuana-trial-program Wed, 03 Jun 2020 14:58:24 +0200 switzerland-green-lights-recreational-marijuana-trial-program The Swiss are taking more and more psychiatric drugs and those living in French-speaking parts of the country are more likely to pop pills than elsewhere in Switzerland, a new study has shown. Here are the details. https://www.thelocal.ch/20191008/study-one-in-five-swiss-residents-now-take-psychiatric-drugs Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:18:34 +0200 study-one-in-five-swiss-residents-now-take-psychiatric-drugs A new court ruling changes the situation for addicts in Switzerland in terms of their eligibility for sickness benefits. Here’s what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190806/explained-why-swiss-drug-addicts-may-now-be-able-to-claim-disability-insurance Tue, 06 Aug 2019 10:35:59 +0200 explained-why-swiss-drug-addicts-may-now-be-able-to-claim-disability-insurance Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Friday announced it had received US regulatory approval for a gene therapy that treats a rare childhood disorder and has a price tag of $2.1 million, making it the most expensive drug in history. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190525/novartis-gets-us-approval-for-21-million-gene-therapy Sat, 25 May 2019 13:16:28 +0200 novartis-gets-us-approval-for-21-million-gene-therapy Zurich, Basel, Bern, St-Gallen and Geneva feature among the ten European cities where cocaine is most used, according to a European study. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180309/five-swiss-cities-among-top-ten-in-europe-for-cocaine-use Fri, 09 Mar 2018 10:40:23 +0100 five-swiss-cities-among-top-ten-in-europe-for-cocaine-use A Dutch passenger returning from Nairobi was found with 40 kilograms of khat, an East African plant stimulant categorized as a drug in Switzerland, during a routine customs check at Zurich Airport. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170925/man-arrested-at-zurich-airport-with-two-suitcases-of-east-african-drug Mon, 25 Sep 2017 12:40:24 +0200 man-arrested-at-zurich-airport-with-two-suitcases-of-east-african-drug Police in Geneva on Friday arrested a member of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group in a pizza restaurant in the city’s Italianate district of Carouge. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170606/italian-mafia-drug-lord-arrested-in-geneva-pizza-restaurant Tue, 06 Jun 2017 12:17:13 +0200 italian-mafia-drug-lord-arrested-in-geneva-pizza-restaurant Lausanne could be getting an authorized space for injecting drugs after the communal parliament voted in favour of the idea on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170601/lausanne-plans-to-open-official-drug-consumption-room Thu, 01 Jun 2017 12:55:42 +0200 lausanne-plans-to-open-official-drug-consumption-room The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has hired Russian doping whistleblower Vitaly Stepanov as a consultant and is helping his runner wife Yuliya in recognition of their efforts, a spokesman said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20161025/ioc-hires-russian-whistleblower-as-consultant Tue, 25 Oct 2016 10:17:15 +0200 ioc-hires-russian-whistleblower-as-consultant Police in the western canton of Neuchâtel are reporting a worrying rise in use of the illicit drug crystal meth. https://www.thelocal.ch/20161003/neuchtel-dubbed-crystal-meth-capital-of-switzerland Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:32:59 +0200 neuchtel-dubbed-crystal-meth-capital-of-switzerland Russian competitors will not compete in next month's Rio Paralympics after the country lost an appeal on Tuesday against a suspension issued over a vast, state-run doping programme. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160824/swiss-sports-court-upholds-russia-ban-from-paralympics Wed, 24 Aug 2016 10:35:16 +0200 swiss-sports-court-upholds-russia-ban-from-paralympics The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has temporarily relocated to Rio so it can make rulings over Olympic doping from the scene. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160727/swiss-sports-court-heads-to-rio-olympics Wed, 27 Jul 2016 19:41:31 +0200 swiss-sports-court-heads-to-rio-olympics The International Olympic Committee reported 45 new doping failures on Friday from the 2008 Games in Beijing and London 2012, bringing the total number of positive drug test to 98 since a retesting programme was launched. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160722/ioc-reports-more-doping-failures-pre-rio Fri, 22 Jul 2016 17:39:24 +0200 ioc-reports-more-doping-failures-pre-rio