Greece’s government has announced that cannabis is effectively legal for medicinal use. The Ministers of Heath and Justice joint ministerial decision was published in the Official Gazette on Friday, which allows the import of pharmaceutical products containing medical cannabis.
The Gazette quoted PM Tsipras as saying: “From now on, the country is turning its page, as Greece is now included in countries where the delivery of medical cannabis to patients in need is legal.”
As part of the announcement, it was stated that cannabis is to be reclassified from Table A—the most restrictive category of narcotics, which also includes heroin, LSD and MDMA—to Table B, a category that includes methadone, cocaine and opium.
The reclassification means that the state can potentially give licenses for cultivation in the near future, although nothing has yet been announced regarding potential licensing procedures.
PM Tsipras also announced that the import of cannabis-based medicines will be permitted once the framework for cultivation has been fully established.
Greece has long had extremely restrictive laws on cannabis and other drugs, and implemented laws prohibiting its sale and use as early as 1890. However, this announcement is the latest in a string of recent moves towards liberalisation of cannabis laws.
