In what cases is an exceptional licence from the FOPH still required?

Any research involving cannabis outside the medical field requires an exceptional licence from the FOPH since the handling of cannabis for non-medical purposes remains prohibited. This includes non-application-oriented basic research, e.g. on the active substance THC (i.e. research on and with the substance itself), as well as application-oriented research on cannabis for non-medical purposes.

Pilot trials involving cannabis conducted under Article 8a of the Narcotics Act require a specific licence (not an exceptional licence). Further information can be found here.