Greek MEP Calls on EU to Address Medical Cannabis Injustices

Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou has urged the European Commission to establish a legal framework for medical cannabis, highlighting the lack of access to legal products in Greece. Patients in Greece face challenges in obtaining medical cannabis due to slow national production and a ban on imports, leading to an ongoing reliance on illegal sources and inequality in patient access across the EU.

Greek Member of the European Parliament Stelios Kouloglou has urged the European Commission (EC) to address the lack of a legal framework for medical cannabis, leaving patients reliant on the illegal market. Despite Greece being one of the first European countries to legalize medical cannabis in 2017, six years on, Greek patients still cannot access legal products.

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The Slow Progress of National Production

In 2018, a more comprehensive law was introduced, allowing the cultivation of cannabis-based products with a THC content above 0.3%, but national production has been slow.

Then, in November 2021, the Greek government banned the import of cannabis-based products, which, according to local sources, constitutes a “violation of the fundamental principles of the EU” under Article 28 of the EU Treaty, namely the free movement of goods between member states.

As a result, thousands of patients still rely on cannabis obtained from the illegal market or grown themselves to treat serious medical issues.

MEP Kouloglou’s Appeal to the European Commission

In his question to the European Commission on Tuesday, December 5, Mr. Kouloglou called for officials to address this issue and the need for a European legislative framework for medical cannabis that “would effectively limit the black market, regulate the quality and accuracy of labeling, and ensure legal and safe access to medicinal products for medical use.”

“Medical cannabis is universally accepted,” he stated.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends prescribing it for a wide range of conditions, and the European Parliament has urged European and national authorities to tackle the issue legislatively, fund research and innovation, and provide information to healthcare professionals.”

“Medical cannabis has been legal in Greece since 2017, for the cultivation and production of products with a THC content above 0.3%, but patients currently do not have access to formulations, and the few national investment sources have been slow to produce.”

Kouloglou added, “Furthermore, in November 2021, the Greek government banned the import of medical cannabis-based products, violating Article 28 of the TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), thus creating oligopolistic conditions in the country. As a result, patients have been forced to turn to the illegal market to treat numerous health issues.”

The Launch of Greece’s First Medical Cannabis Production Facility

In January, Tikun Olam Europe, a subsidiary of the Israeli company Tikun Olam, specializing in cannabis, announced that operations had begun at Greece’s first medical cannabis production facility.

The first flower-based products were expected to be available by the end of 2023, or later in 2024.

Patients and Families Remain “Criminals”

Jacqueline Poitras, founder of the Greek patient advocacy association MAMAKA, who has been heavily involved in the campaign for the legalization of medical cannabis, stated that it was time for the EU to address “inequality” in access.

“It is time for the European Parliament and Commission to look into the issue of equal patient access across all EU member states,” she told Cannabis Health.

“The inequality among member states regarding medical cannabis legislation is a direct violation of the spirit and laws governing patient rights within the European Union – each country has been left to its own devices, and the responsibility for change squarely lies on the shoulders of the patients.”

Ms. Poitras added, “In Greece, six years of ‘legal medical use’ have not resulted in the provision of legal products to more than a handful of patients. The government’s import ban has done nothing to protect local investors – it has simply prolonged the period during which families and patients remain criminals.”

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(Featured image by Sara Kurfeß via Unsplash)

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