Greece Becomes Sixth European Country To Legalize Medical Marijuana

Recently, Greece became the sixth country in the European Union to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, joining Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain as the few European countries who allow legal medical marijuana.

Details of the Legalization

In a press conference announcing the news, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stated, “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.”

While the program will not be completely unveiled for some time, it has been announced that Greece will also re-classify marijuana from a Table A (no medicinal value) to a Table B (some medicinal value) drug. The classification change is similar to what many medical marijuana supporters want to see occur in the U.S., by rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule 1 classification to Schedule 2. The change in classification is greatly important as it signals a complete change in the governments view of marijuana.

Re-Classifying Marijuana

One thing Greece also announced is that it will soon be legal to import medical marijuana into the country from other legal countries like Spain and Canada. This proactive step is part of the country’s attempt to generate more revenue from legal marijuana consumers and businesses. As with many countries with a legal marijuana system, Greece can expect massive amounts of revenue to be generated. In Canada, it is expected that marijuana revenues will be around 22 billion dollars next year, more than the entire Canadian alcohol industry combined.

Massive Revenue Expected

While the business aspect of legalizing medical marijuana is exciting, the most important factor is the patient’s ability to access the best medicine for themselves. Marijuana will be prescribed for many conditions in Greece ranging from muscular disorders to PTSD. The newfound ability to legally access natural medicine will be very enticing for Greek citizens as the medical marijuana program processes in Greece.

As favorability of medical marijuana in Greece grows, so will favorability in Europe and around the world. As time passes, more and more people will finally get access to the treatment they need and the treatment they deserve.