When hearing the word “narcotic”, we usually first think of illicit drugs. However, many so-called narcotics are medications that have been duly tested and authorized in Switzerland.
The current regulations regarding controlled substances must strike a balance between two opposing imperatives: to control illegal and dangerous substance trafficking and at the same time ensure that the necessary substances are available to people with health problems. Finding the “right balance” between these two objectives is the subject of lively debate and the aim of our project.
Specifically, this project aims to analyse how products that meet both the definition of a narcotic (controlled substance) and the definition of a medicinal product are regulated in Switzerland.