Health policies, like cannabis regulations, are commonly thought to follow a linear process: identifying a problem, gathering knowledge to understand its causes and solutions, devising policies and practices, and evaluating outcomes. However, real-world processes are likely to deviate from this ideal as evidence-production may be influenced by social factors that in turn influence policy making. This presentation will focus on results from a qualitative study examining the underlying social forces affecting knowledge production related to cannabis policy in Switzerland. In May 2021, the Swiss federal government enacted innovative legislation that allows Swiss institutions to launch interventional studies to test the social, health, and economic effects of cannabis sale for non-medical purposes. We collected data through semi-structured qualitative interviews with stakeholders (scientists, policy makers, pharmacists, physicians, cannabis producers) engaged in cannabis policy implementation in Switzerland. The data was used to examine three key factors affecting the production of evidence within the Swiss cannabis pilot studies: values/ideology, politics/power, and economics.
