NCJ Number
124083
Date Published
1989
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Some aspects of drug policies in Switzerland vary from one jurisdiction to another, but Federal law and policy have made punishments increasingly severe while introducing some measures to promote the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
Abstract
The law regulates drugs associated with addiction and punishes cultivation, production, possession, and trafficking. Drug consumption itself was not punished until 1975, when the new law made it a minor offense and allows prosecutorial discretion regarding minor offenses or drug abusers seeking treatment. Criminal procedures vary among the cantons. Judges may commit convicted drug offenders to treatment institutions for indeterminate periods of up to 2 years. Future reforms are likely to reflect the growing public opinion regarding the futility of a solely punitive approach and the tolerance of the consumption of certain drugs, particularly hashish. Tables, footnotes, list of abbreviations, and 33 references.