The Albanian parliament has approved a draft law on the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, Albanian media reported.

According to information from Albanian media, the draft law also specifies a series of criteria that must be met by those who want to obtain a permit to grow the plant, as well as sanctions in case of possible violations.

Health and Social Protection Minister Ogerta Manastirliu told Albanian media in June that this draft law sets out the regulatory framework for how the cultivation and processing of this plant, as well as the production of its by-products for medical and industrial purposes, will be controlled.

According to her, the purpose of this draft law is to regulate and ensure control and monitoring of the process of cultivation, production, processing and export of cannabis.

Manastirliu said that for this reason, a national cannabis control agency should be established, which would be subordinated to the Albanian Ministry of Health.

In order to ensure control and monitoring at every stage of the cultivation and processing of cannabis, this agency will cooperate with the Albanian police and several other structures in the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Interior of Albania. Also, the national cannabis control agency will be able to impose sanctions in case of violation of the conditions or the established legal framework.

The license for the cultivation and processing of cannabis for these purposes will be granted to the companies for a period of 15 years, and all interested entities will be approved by the Albanian government. The maximum area that can be planted with cannabis on the territory of the entire country is 200 hectares. The law lays down strict criteria for obtaining a license, the first of which is that the company has three years of experience in cultivating, producing, processing and transporting the plant. Practically none of the Albanian companies meets this condition, Albanian media write.

Such criteria pose the question for whom this law was drafted and who would benefit from it, notes "Euronews Albania".

Albanian economic experts said in late June that the law's three-year experience in cultivating cannabis meant that foreign entrepreneurs, not Albanian citizens, would be able to benefit from the new law.

Ever since it was approved by Albania's Council of Ministers in mid-June, the draft law on the legalization of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes has caused mixed reactions.

Earlier this month, former Albanian president and leader of the opposition Freedom Party, Ilir Meta, said the draft law would mean the "de facto legalization of drug trafficking" in Albania.

The discussion of the draft law on cannabis in the Albanian parliament yesterday was also accompanied by debates, as the opposition expressed doubts that the draft law was approved in a fast-track procedure by the ruling Socialist Party of Albania, Top Channel reported. They also stated that there is no study of how the social, health and criminal risks and consequences of marijuana use would affect the Albanian economy.

The ruling majority nevertheless approved the draft law at the meeting, which lasted until after midnight, reiterating that control over cannabis will be strict and the opportunities for financial gains and employment are high.

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