With 69 votes in favour, 23 against and 3 abstentions, the Albanian Parliament has officially legalized cannabis cultivation for therapeutic use in Albania.
Therapeutic cannabis: cultivation legalized in Albania
Despite the harsh opposition, Albania has always been a crossroads for the traffic of marijuana, legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Illicit cultivation took root in the period post-communist, when, in the absence of a government that could keep the situation under control, illegal drug dealing reached its all-time highs.
At least until 2013, when the Prime Minister's left-wing Socialist Party came to power Edi Rama, which has been actively working to curb marijuana smuggling.
In fact, it is estimated that in the following two years alone, millions of cannabis plants were destroyed with an estimated market value of 7 billion euros, more than two-thirds of the country's annual gross domestic product at that time.
The Albanian legalization proposal for cannabis
Presented last April by Prime Minister Edi Rama, the bill for the legalization of therapeutic cannabis comes following the results of a "national consultancy". A process in which the government asked citizens to express their opinion on 12 important issues, including the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes.
Of the almost 600 thousand citizens voting, the 61% he said he was in favor of "cultivation, processing and exportation by the state".
Although it is not yet clear how the regulation will take place, the bill would allow any legal entity with at least three years of experience in the production, cultivation and processing of cannabis for medical purposes to apply for a license. License that can be granted for a maximum period of 15 years with the possibility of renewal.
Finally, according to Prime Minister Rama, the legalization of cannabis for therapeutic use "will open up new opportunities for employment and economic growth“ of the country.
