The Greek government has agreed to make cannabis available for medicinal purposes, joining a growing number of European countries that have legalized medical marijuana.
“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,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said during a news conference, according to the Greek Government Gazette.
It’s not yet clear how medical marijuana will be grown and cultivated, Britain’s Independent newspaper reported. According to Neos Kosmos, the government will be in a position to award MMJ cultivation permits.
As a result of the government’s move, cannabis will be reclassified from a Table A drug – a category that includes heroin and LSD – to a Table B drug, the same category as methadone, cocaine and opium.
Importation of marijuana-based medicines also will be allowed, according to the Independent.
The joint ministerial decision reached by Ministers of Health and Justice was published Friday.
Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Finland and the Netherlands are among the other European nations that have legalized MMJ.
