Medical cannabis is now legal in Greece following a ministerial decision by the Ministers of Health and Justice, according to a Neos Kosmos report. The decision moves cannabis from its Table A classification, where it was listed along with heroin, to Table B, which includes cocaine, opium, and methadone.
“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,” said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in the report.
The announcement did not include a licensing framework, but licensing regulations are expected for cultivation and distribution. Tsipras indicated that once the framework is completed the nation will also likely allow importation of medical cannabis products.
The decision comes less than a year after the Ministry of Health announced that a panel of experts would study the prospect of legalizing medical cannabis use federally. Greece joins Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Uruguay as nations with some national access to medical cannabis.
According to a recent Marijuana Majority poll conducted by Survey USA, 76 percent of Americans support state-legal medical cannabis programs; however, there is little support from federal lawmakers to implement national reforms.