Visiting Switzerland

Geneva – the ‘city of Calvin’ — is attracting more and more dug addicts who are visiting Switzerland for its vibrant drug market. Notably, the French, who come from as far as away as Grenoble or Lyon or even Paris — they are visiting Switzerland to purchase drugs in Geneva. The reason, according to Police, is that the prices are very attractive and the penalties if caught are not particularly dissuasive. Rather, Geneva is known for very lax drug laws.

While the market for cocaine, hashish and marijuanua is mainly ‘local,’ more than three-quarters of those arrested in Geneva for heroin possession are French, according to a police spokesman in Geneva. They are coming from the Jura, from Savoie, from Isère, and the Lyon region.

The price of 5 grams of heroin in Geneva is about 100 euros, while the same 5 grams in France sells for roughly 250 euros. In France the sanctions as well for being caught with heroin are much more severs. This striking imbalance in the economies and criminal justices of the

two neighboring countries has created arbitrage opportunities for many enterprising consumers.

In Switzerland, the recreational drug experiencing the biggest boom

is cocaine. In Geneva sales are skyrocketing. The Geneva public prosecutor was quoted as saying that ‘cocaine use has become democratized.’ Today, 10 francs (about $10) is enough to buy a small dose on the Geneva market. In neighboring France the prices are much much higher and the jail time for possession is orders of magnitude more severe. The result is a new sort of tourist visiting Switzerland for its underground retail pharmaceutical offerings, rather than for its more traditional mountain and lakeside retreats, hot baths, and discreet opportunities for private banking.

Even within Switzerland, there are substantial differences in the treatment of drug use. Switzerland is divided into 23 cantons, each with their own legal systems, much like the states of the United States. In the canton of Vaud (of which Lausanne is the capitol city), the penalties for cocaine use are much more severe than in Geneva : one risks 6 months of imprisonment for possession of one ball of coke.

In Geneva, the practice is a fine for intentional consumption (without prescription) which can go as high as about $300. Holding drug is punished by fines going up to about $500. Obviously, repeat offenders get higher fines.

Despite the heavy heritage of Calvin, Geneva – the California of Switzerland– remains a harbor of tolerance and progressive attitudes.