The legal thujone limit in Switzerland is 35mg of thujone per litre which is nearly the same level found in the 19th centure pre-ban absinthe. It is THREE times stronger than the thujone free (10mg) US absinthe like Lucid or Kubler US.
This effectively legalizes many absinthes, since authentic absinthe contains only minute traces of thujone in the first place. The highest thujone levels so far detected in pre-ban samples is 48.3 mg/L, the lowest was none detected. Many pre-ban era absinthes would be legal in the US today by modern government standards.
While the European Union has indeed granted a bit more leeway in regards to thujone content in absinthe (10 mg/l if labeled "absinthe" and up to 35 mg/l if it's labeled as a "bitters"), the U.S. government has not yet studied absinthe in depth. Therefore, they continue to impose a limit of 10 mg/l.
Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur, but it isn't absinthe. At 86 proof, it's powerful stuff, but Pernod's pastis still ain't absinthe.
Mansinthe Vieux Pontarlier Pernod Absinthe Pernod, 80 proof Versinthe, 90 proof Absente, 110 proof. Kubler (Swiss version) Maktub Century 100