SCRIPT

About the trial

After the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) and the responsible ethics committees gave the SCRIPT study the green light in spring 2023, registration for participation in the cannabis pilot trial in the cities of Bern and Biel/Bienne is now open as planned.

Interested cannabis users can register on the website until 12.12.2023. Participation is open to adults who already use cannabis regularly and live in the canton of Bern. At present, the study management reports that many registrations have already been received. People aged 60 and over, women and people who identify as non-binary are also being sought.

SCRIPT ("Safer Cannabis - Research In Pharmacies randomized controlled trial") is being conducted by researchers from BIHAM, CTU and ISPM in close collaboration with several other institutes at the Universities of Bern and Lucerne as well as the cities of Bern, Lucerne, and Biel. The primary aim is to investigate the regulated, non-profit sale of cannabis for personal use. The cannabis products are sold in selected pharmacies. The study aims to tackle the problems caused by prohibition and the illegal market and to test possible approaches to harm reduction. Supply and demand for cannabis are to be strictly controlled. The study data may be important for any future regulations. The study will be conducted in the three cities of Bern, Biel, and Lucerne. The participation of around 1,000 people is planned. According to the randomization principle, only half of the participants will be allowed to purchase regulated cannabis products during the first six months. After six months, the second group will also be able to purchase cannabis products. The cannabis products are produced especially for the study, tested in laboratories, and packaged neutrally. Trained specialists are on hand to provide advice and information on topics such as risk-minimizing forms of consumption or smoking cessation as required. During the study, participants are questioned about their consumption behavior and general health. In addition to cannabis flowers and cannabis resin (hashish), e-liquids and cannabis tinctures are also available as study products.