Greece grants country’s first medical cannabis licenses
Eight months after green-lighting the cultivation and production of medical cannabis, Greece’s leftist-led government has issued the first licenses to two private firms for growing hemp in the country.
The announcement was made yesterday during a joint press conference in Athens by Health Minister Andreas Xanthos, Deputy Economy Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas and Deputy Agricultural Development Minister Vassilis Kokkalis.
It involves a 9.5-million-euro investment in Larissa, central Greece, and a 12.5-million-euro investment in Corinth, in the Peloponnese.
Officials said up to 12 more licenses could be granted by the end of the year, creating about 770 news jobs and representing a total investment of 185-200 million euros.
Most of the investment is expected to come from Canada and Israel.
Meanwhile, authorities are taking steps to include medical cannabis products in the country’s electronic prescription system.
However, while products will be available on prescription from pharmacists, they will not be covered by state health insurance.
