Amidst all the news about hatred and violence in Europe, there is some good news for lovers of the cannabis plant today. The legality of using cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes is on the rise across the globe. Selling and using of marijuana for recreational purposes is now fully legal in the US state of Nevada, and Catalonia in Spain just recently legalized cannabis in the region.
The highlight today is the fact Greece has welcomed the use of medical cannabis by making it legal in the entire nation, for medical use only.
“Turning Its Page”
A week and a half ago on June 30, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, along with Health Minister Andreas Xanthos, informed Greece and the rest of the world about the change. The Prime Minister designated it a move from a nation that’s “turning its pages.”
Tsipras mentioned that it is now legal in the whole nation of Greece to utilize cannabis for medical purposes as and when needed. This marks Greece’s entry into the list of nations that allow the usage of medical cannabis in select locations or the whole country. Prior to this, the list consisted only of Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
Regulation
The plans regarding how the growth and distribution of the plant will be regulated are still unclear at this point since the authorities in charge are in the middle of figuring everything out. All that has been mentioned so far is the fact that cannabis has now been relabeled as a Table B controlled substance, as opposed to a Table A controlled substance.
This means that the rules will relax, allowing for easier access to medical cannabis in Greece than before. It also means that Greece will be able to import cannabis from other major manufacturers of medical marijuana in the world.
What Qualifies as a Legal Condition?
In order to control the misuse and abuse of Marijuana as a recreational drug due to its psychoactive properties, the government in Greece set out specific guidelines in regards to which conditions can be treated with medical cannabis.
While this includes mainly neurological disorders and pain, side effects of chemotherapy and eating disorders, a licensed medical practitioner can include other conditions on the list as well, if he/she feels inclined to do so for better treatment of a particular disease/disorder.
It doesn’t come as a big surprise, given the many benefits of CBD oil and medical marijuana on the ailing human body. The ministry had indicated back in April that it was working towards legalizing the medical prescription of cannabis and it was finally made official in July.
This marks a monumental movement for a nation that had so far been bogged down in many ways through restrictive and conservative laws for decades. This is, of course, in line with the principles of the ruling Syriza party, who are known for their radical-leftist ideals.
