As many of us know, weed laws vary around the world. What might be completely legal in one country is outright banned in the next.

When it comes to Switzerland, cannabis has been tolerated but never legalized. Finally, the Swiss government recently announced that as of August 1, it will legalize medicinal cannabis and promote its use for therapeutic purposes.

Before this, anyone who wanted access to medical marijuana would have to get permission from the health ministry first. Now, according to government reports, that decision “will be made by the doctor together with the patient.”

Swiss people are continuously seeking permission from the health ministry for medicinal cannabis. There have been roughly 3,000 exceptions in 2019 alone.

So, in order to push safe medical cannabis to patients who need it, the Swiss government is allowing that decision to be made by individuals and not the government.

The health ministry even admits that it was a “tedious administrative procedure.” But, as of Monday, patients will “be able to access these medicines without excessive bureaucracy,” it notes.

The main goal of this legal move was to lessen the burden of varying conditions while easing the public into less addictive and more natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals.

What’s interesting is that although cannabis is still illegal in Switzerland, it’s not all that dangerous to possess it recreationally. The country is quite tolerant of recreational cannabis use despite it being illegal.

Per The Local CH, the Swiss government says that possessing up to 10 grams of cannabis for personal use does not result in legal penalties or fines, nor does giving another adult up to 10 grams.

Furthermore, Americans might find it interesting that the Swiss government does not prohibit cannabis products that contain less than 1% delta-9 THC. In the United States, that limit is a tiny 0.3%.

Regardless of recreational use and legalization, Switzerland‘s choice to roll out medical marijuana legalization is a move the Swiss people have long been waiting for. They can finally be self-autonomous when it comes to their decision to use medical cannabis or not.