SWITZERLAND
Swiss manufacturer Heimat has developed a new product combining tobacco with low-tétrahydrocannabinol cannabis. Swiss supermarket Coop is selling tobacco and hemp cigarettes across its 2,400 outlets. The cigarettes contain less than 1% THC so do not create a high.
The cigarettes are the first in the world to be sold in a regular supermarket and cost around CHF 20 - more than double the price of tobacco cigarettes. Switzerland legalized cannabis containing up to 1% THC in 2011. This is above the 0.2% legal limit in many other European countries. Coop Switzerland has warned consumers against taking the hemp cigarettes across borders. A packet of Heimat’s 20 hemp cigarettes contains 4g of cannabidiol (CBD) or 0.2g per cigarette.
The cigarettes, which are manufactured at Heimat’s factory in Steinach on Lake Constance, source tobacco from Switzerland while the hemp is both local and from abroad. Heimat is now looking at ways to increase hemp production across the country so it can source from Swiss plants only. Heimat said it had encountered some difficulties mixing tobacco and hemp using machines but was able to eventually blend the two to create a harmonious mixture.
Since introducing the hemp cigarette on July 24, Coop Switzerland has seen a large demand for the product. “We already offer several hemp products like hemp ice tea, hemp beer, hemp oil, or hemp spread,” said a Coop Switzerland spokesperson. “There is a demand for hemp products because of its unique smell and taste. That’s why we also decided to offer CBD cigarettes to our customers.”