Switzerland’s CBD Coffeeshop Boom Swings to Austria

Walking into the Niagara Shop Smokers Lounge in Dübendorf, Switzerland, one is reminded instantly of the world-famous Amsterdam coffeeshops. This is because one is able to consume cannabis legally in the smoking-friendly room of the Swiss CBD shop.

The Swiss-grown herbs that are sold and smoked in the cozy shop contain high amounts of cannabidiol (CBD) and a maximum of 1% THC. Strains smoked here are grown by owner Dario Tobler and his partner Markus Walther in their nursery a few kilometers away in Schaffhausen, not far from the famous Rhine Falls. Their company Bio Can AG recognized the emerging trend quite early and started producing CBD-rich varieties for nearly two years. Originally, these strains were only available on their website online but later became available for the CBD coffeeshop. In addition, the in-house nursery supplies many CBD retailers between Zurich, Basel, and Geneva with the coveted buds.

Walther has been growing cannabis since the late-90s. In those days, cannabis and hashish production were quasi-legal, after resourceful activists had discovered a loophole in the Swiss Narcotics Act. The state,…