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Medical Cannabis To Be Sold In Greek Pharmacies

Written by Marguerite Arnold on April 19, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

A win for patients as Greece angles to be a large European medical cannabis producer

Greece has positioned itself as a medical cannabis producer over the last couple of years as a way to bring both foreign investment into the country – and a way to create a valuable export crop. The country legalized medical cannabis in 2017 and repealed a ban on cultivation and production in March the next year.

However, to date, Greek citizens could not access the drug locally – even with a doctor’s prescription, much less purchase it from their local pharmacies.

This has now changed. Foreigners will also be allowed to purchase the drug this way.

What Does This Mean?

This development is certainly a win for patients, and indeed removes one of the largest criticisms of the government on the issue of medical cannabis reform – namely seeing it solely as a way to bring in foreign capital without considering the health and welfare of its own citizens. The Greek government still has high hopes for this sector of the economy. Currently, ministers are projecting that the industry could bring in as much as $1.67 billion annually. That is far from a small change.

However, beyond current investment and export income, this newest development means, at least, that Greek citizens will directly be able to access the drug. It also is being seen by the Ministry of Development and Investment as a way to further legitimize the cannabis cultivation industry here.

Greece is currently, quite obviously, vying for cannabis export income against both Portugal, which is increasingly seen as the “go to” market for medical cannabis in Europe, and their northern neighbor, North Macedonia, which has been trying to achieve this status since 2017 but has been repeatedly stymied in the same because they are not part of the EU.

Reciprocal Medical Market?

This development certainly sets Greece up to become what many have anticipated it would be – namely an attractive market for other Europeans looking for a medical cannabis-friendly location to go on holiday. The country is a popular tourist destination for particularly British and German tourists already. With this development, Greece is clearly angling for more of the same, with a cannabis twist.

The first cannabis wellness spa has just opened in Switzerland. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the same kinds of projects could be developed here, particularly as places like Holland continue to promote policies that threaten to ban cannatourists and the rest of Europe embraces cannabis reform on a slow track.

greece

Greek Minister Says Medical Cannabis Will Be Available To Foreigners

Written by Frank Schuler on April 12, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

Greece originally legalized cannabis for medical use in 2017, although, it’s been a very slow start to getting safe access to medical cannabis in place for patients. Roughly five years after the original measure’s passage, it has turned out to be almost entirely symbolic.

As is the case in every country on earth, Greece is home to patients that are suffering from various conditions and some, if not all, of those conditions can be treated with medical cannabis products to some degree.

Medical cannabis reform has taken hold across the European continent, and as of late last year, at least one of Greece’s neighbors along the Mediterranean Sea, Malta, is now home to adult-use cannabis legalization.

Greece’s Minister for Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis recently spoke to Greek Reporter and provided assurances that safe access is on the way for the suffering patients of Greece this year, as well as for foreigners. Below are excerpts from Greek Reporter:

Speaking exclusively to Greek Reporter, Georgiadis maintained that medical cannabis would be produced and sold in Greece beginning in 2022.

“The goal is for Greece to become the top European country in the production of medical cannabis. Greece’s environment is friendly for this particular plant and we think we will have a natural advantage,” Georgiadis told Greek Reporter.

The Greek minister revealed to Greek Reporter that foreigners will also be able to use medical cannabis in Greece and that they would be allowed to purchase it through pharmacies with “the only condition [being] that they have a prescription from their doctor.”

The revelation that foreigners will be able to purchase medical cannabis from pharmacies in Greece is fantastic, however, it will be interesting to see what the actual rules and regulations are regarding the concept described by the minister.

Obviously, prescriptions differ in format and type from country to country, and in some jurisdictions, medical cannabis is not prescribed. Instead, patients are registered with a governing body and can make purchases from regulated outlets that are not always pharmaceutical in nature.

As with many things cannabis policy-related in Europe, we will have to wait and see how it all plays out. In the meantime, we will be sure to report any significant developments in Greece and beyond.