{"id":7591,"date":"2017-07-19T15:58:40","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T15:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/?p=6371"},"modified":"2017-07-19T15:58:40","modified_gmt":"2017-07-19T15:58:40","slug":"switzerland-cannabis-cigarettes-are-being-sold-legally-at-this-supermarket-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/switzerland-cannabis-cigarettes-are-being-sold-legally-at-this-supermarket-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland: Cannabis Cigarettes Are Being Sold Legally At This Supermarket Chain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/switzerland-cannabis-cigarettes-are-being-sold-legally-at-this-supermarket-chain\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Natalia Ferrera is in high spirits \u2014 literally. Standing in front of a Coop supermarket in the city\u2019s Eaux-Vives section, she is smoking a cigarette and enjoying a buzz.<\/p>\n<p>Ferrera\u2019s cigarette has a distinctly musky scent because in addition to tobacco, it contains hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), one of the active ingredients in the cannabis plant that is the source of marijuana. And this may be the only place in the world where you can get it at a supermarket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt tastes like a real joint,\u201d Ferrera, 20, said, adding that she wanted to try the cigarette \u201cout of curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She purchased a pack, marketed under the name Heimat, legally at Coop, one of Switzerland\u2019s largest supermarket chains. It will launch the product in 700 stores nationwide on July 24. But some branches, like the one in Eaux-Vives, are already selling it.<\/p>\n<p>While several U.S. producers in states with legalized marijuana offer pre-rolled cannabis joints, they are sold in specialized outlets. Heimat, on the other hand, is the \u201cfirst and only cigarette containing cannabis that is sold in a regular supermarket,\u201d according to its Swiss manufacturers, Koch &amp; Gsell.<\/p>\n<p>In Switzerland, cannabis can contain up to 1% of THC, which is higher than the 0.2% legal limit in many other nations.<\/p>\n<p>The manufacturer warns on its website that \u201cthe cigarettes should not be taken abroad, as this may result in prosecution due to the differences in the permissible THC limits in other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But since the new cigarettes contain a relatively low level of THC \u2014 4 grams in a pack of 10 \u2014 smokers should not expect to get high, the manufacturer said.<\/p>\n<p>That is not the effect Ferrera described. \u201cI definitely felt more mellow and relaxed,\u201d she reported.<\/p>\n<p>While the THC may be low, the cigarette contains a high, 20% level of CBD, a substance believed to relieve pain, inflammation, and offer other health benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Coop is selling these cigarettes \u201cbecause there is big demand for hemp products,\u201d company spokeswoman Angela Wimmer told USA TODAY.<\/p>\n<p>She added that the chain already carries other cannabis products like ice tea, beer and sandwich spread.<\/p>\n<p>Only people over 18 will be able to buy Heimat cigarettes, and there will be identity checks at cash registers. A pack costs $20.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis cigarette is more expensive because cannabis costs a lot more than tobacco,\u201d said Bjoern Koch, the company\u2019s marketing director. \u201cFrom this perspective, our cigarettes are sold at a low price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone in Switzerland is happy about the wide availability of the new product, arguing that its long-term risks are unclear. \u201cCurrently there is no study on the effects of CBD and I find that problematic,\u201d parliamentarian and anti-drug activist Andrea Geissb\u00fchler told the Swiss media, echoing concerns of the country\u2019s health and addiction experts.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the warning, the cigarette will likely not go away anytime soon. \u201cI liked the taste, smell and feeling it gave me, and will tell my friends to try it too,\u201d Ferrera said.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/switzerland-cannabis-cigarettes-are-being-sold-legally-at-this-supermarket-chain.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>News Moderator: Ron Strider <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a><br \/>\nFull Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/world\/2017\/07\/14\/switzerland-cigarette-marijuana-cannabis-hemp\/479231001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cannabis cigarettes: This supermarket chain is betting on demand<\/a><br \/>\nAuthor: Helena Bachmann<br \/>\nContact: <a href=\"http:\/\/marketing.usatoday.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact Us<\/a><br \/>\nPhoto Credit: Lowell Farms<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA TODAY: Latest World and US News &#8211; USATODAY.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Natalia Ferrera is in high spirits \u2014 literally. Standing in front of a Coop supermarket in the city\u2019s Eaux-Vives section,&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/2017\/07\/switzerland-cannabis-cigarettes-sold-legally-supermarket-chain\/\" class=\"read-more\">[Read More]<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1616,9,1,3],"tags":[4184],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7591"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}