The southeastern European nation of Croatia has legalized the use and sale of marijuana-derived products for medical purposes, becoming the latest country to establish an MMJ program.
Under the program, doctors can prescribe medical cannabis for a handful of conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and AIDS, according to Agence France-Presse.
Pharmacies across the country will begin selling medical marijuana in a matter of weeks, though MMJ is reportedly now already available through eight pharmaceutical companies. Home growing is not allowed, and patients are limited to .75 grams of THC every 30 days.
“According to information that we have from wholesale drugstores, quite a lot of them are interested in importing (cannabis products) to Croatia,” Croatian Health Minister Sinisa Varga told AFP.
U.S. companies can’t export medical cannabis, but businesses that provide technology, equipment and services such as consulting might find some opportunities as the Croatian market takes root.
Still, given the relatively limited medical conditions list, the market will likely be small – perhaps in the low tens of thousands or less – in the nation of 4 million people.
The move to legalize came after after a months-long campaign that started when police in the Adriatic coast town of Rijeka detained a multiple sclerosis sufferer who grew the plant to produce cannabis oil, which relieved his pain.
Croatia joins other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in allowing some degree of marijuana use.
