Swiss Court Harshes Cannabis-Lovers’ Mellow With 25% Tax on Buds

A Swiss court has killed some of the buzz for cannabis lovers in the Alpine country.

The sale of cannabis flowers in Switzerland will be taxed at 25 percent, the same levy that currently applies to tobacco, because the drug’s floral buds are smoked in a similar way to cigarettes, the Swiss Federal Administrative Court ruled in a March 11 decision.

As the decriminalization of marijuana becomes more commonplace in Europe and North America, the Swiss decision could prove an interesting test-case of how governments should tax marijuana products. Cannabis with less than 1 percent Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ...