[Opportunities associated with cannabis sales pilot trials : the Cann-L project]. / Essais-pilotes de vente de cannabis : exemple du projet Cann-L.

In the context of an international trend of cannabis legalisation and regulation, Switzerland is now allowing strictly supervised local pilot trials of cannabis sales. One of these is the Cann-L project in Lausanne, which will evaluate the impact on cannabis consumption of an access to a non-profit, public health-oriented distribution model. Opening in December 2023, it already has more than 500 participants whose profiles differ from those usually found in population surveys. In addition, around twenty people have already contacted the study's referring doctor, demonstrating a need and interest in advice and support.

Dans le contexte d'une « vague ¼ de légalisation et régulation du cannabis au niveau international, la Suisse permet désormais la mise en œuvre d'essais pilotes locaux de vente de cannabis strictement encadrés. L'un d'entre eux est le projet lausannois Cann-L évaluant l'effet sur la consommation de cannabis de l'accès à un modèle de vente à but non lucratif orienté sur la santé publique. Ouvert en décembre 2023, il compte déjà plus de 500 participant-e-s dont le profil se différencie de celui que l'on observe habituellement dans les enquêtes populationnelles. En outre, une vingtaine de personnes ont déjà fait appel au médecin référent de l'étude, montrant ainsi un besoin et un intérêt pour des conseils et un accompagnement.

Testing wastewater from a music festival in Switzerland to assess illicit drug use.

This article describes the application of a recently proposed framework for deploying wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor illicit drug use within festivals (Benaglia et al., 2019). The festival under study was a week-long music festival in Switzerland (Swiss Festival) which attracted around 50,000 people daily. Wastewater sampling was performed during its 2014 and 2015 editions. As the Swiss Festival's wastewater is conveyed to the sewage treatment plant (STP) of the nearby city, to assess illicit drug use when there is no festival (i.e. the background consumption) wastewater sampling was also carried out during an off-festival week in 2015. During the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Swiss Festival, WBE highlighted that the most consumed illicit drugs were cannabis, MDMA, cocaine and amphetamine. Excluding cannabis, the means per capita loads of all illicit drugs were not statistically different between both editions of the Swiss Festival. The results were then compared to those of an Australian festival which had also been subject of a quantitatively assessed illicit drug use study (Lai et al., 2013). This comparison confirmed that MDMA is highly prevalent, as well as amphetamine, although to a lesser extent. Consumption of cocaine (in Switzerland) and methamphetamine (in Australia) is also high, but their use seems to be related to their availability (i.e. to the country where the festival takes place). Furthermore, it was observed that MDMA and amphetamine are more consumed during the festival compared to normal times, when there is no festival. This might suggest that their availability is increased and therefore, that a market for these substances potentially exists during the festival. This last hypothesis was assessed by consulting drug seizures made by the police during the 2015 Swiss Festival. Despite very limited data, police records suggested that most of the drugs were purchased at the festival, which supports the previous hypothesis. Results validate, on the one hand, WBE as a useful indicator to monitor illicit drug use within festivals and on the other hand, the suggested framework for deploying WBE in such environment. In addition, this study suggests the need for prevention and harm reduction measures targeted on MDMA and amphetamine during the Swiss Festival, such as drug checking laboratories.

Levels of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in raw wastewater as an innovative perspective for investigating population-wide exposure to third-hand smoke.

Tobacco smoking is the major cause of many chronic diseases, especially lung cancer. Knowledge about population-wide tobacco use and exposure is essential to characterise its burden on public health and evaluate policy efficacy. Obtaining such knowledge remains challenging with current methods (e.g., surveys, biomonitoring) but can be achievable with wastewater analysis, a promising tool of retrieving epidemiology information. This study examined population-wide exposure to tobacco toxicants and carcinogens through wastewater analysis and explored relationships among these chemicals. Cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, anabasine, anatabine and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) were analysed in samples from Greece, Switzerland and Belgium, where tobacco control policies are different. Measured per-capita mass loads were ranked as: nicotine biomarkers ≫ tobacco markers > carcinogens. Relationships between nicotine biomarkers and tobacco markers implied substantial use of non-tobacco nicotine items besides tobacco products. Geographic profiles of tobacco markers revealed higher levels in Geneva and Athens than Geraardsbergen and Ninove. Environmental third-hand smoke led to NNK detection, with elevated levels observed in Athens where indoor smoking is widespread, posing potential health risks to the population. Our novel outcomes are relevant for public health authorities as they provide indications about external exposure and can thus be used to plan and evaluate tobacco control policies.

The Use of Passive Samplers to Reveal Industrial and Agricultural Pollution Trends in Swiss Rivers.

This study shows the efficiency of passive sampling to reveal industrial and agricultural pollution trends. Two practical applications for nonpolar and polar contaminants are presented. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) samplers were deployed for one year in the Venoge River (VD) to monitor indicator PCBs (iPCBs, IUPAC nos. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180). The results showed that the impact of PCB emissions into the river is higher in summer than in other seasons due to the low flow rate of the river during this period. Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed for 4 months in the Sion-Riddes canal (VS) to investigate herbicides (terbuthylazine, diuron and linuron). Desisopropylatrazine-d5 (DIA-d5) was tested as a performance reference compound (PRC) to estimate aqueous concentration. The results showed an increase of water contamination due to the studied agricultural area. The maximal contamination was observed in April and corresponds to the period of herbicide application on the crops.