Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government will legalize medical cannabis in Albania. Last February, the Albanian Prime Minister asked for citizens’ opinions on the legalization of medical cannabis through a national consultation initiative.
The results speak for themselves, as 61% of Albanian citizens voted in favor of the legalization of medical cannabis. According to the poll results, 308,000 citizens against 148,000 were in favor, while 51,000 stated having no opinion on the legalization.
“We will legalize cannabis and open a new front of work and economic growth and increase the technological aspect. What the citizens have said will be carried out. » said the head of government in a statement to Albanian media.
“The citizens’ voice is resounding, and we will do exactly what the citizens want, some things faster, some things slower. It is a process, but very soon, in a few days, you will see the members of the cabinet who will come out with concrete commitments, to give back to the people the confidence that they gave back to this process,“ added the Prime Minister.
Minister of State for Relations with the Parliament, Elisa Spiropali, underlined that the legalization of medical cannabis would open a new front of work and economic growth for the country.
“We have won the fight against cannabis, and Albania has come out of the map of problematic countries in this regard. For this reason and many other reasons, we note that over 60% of the citizens who responded, 309 thousand Albanians agree that the country should allow the cultivation, processing, and export of strictly controlled cannabis for medical purposes. Albanians judge in the majority that such an approach would discourage illegality and criminality associated with this major problem, not only Albanian but also international. We will listen to their voice for the legalization of medical cannabis et we will open a new front of work and economic growth by putting on the legal track and fighting the criminalization of this phenomenon as we have done so far”, said Spiropali.
In 2020, Edi Rama had announced that he was preparing a bill to legalize the cultivation of medical cannabis and wanted to open a public debate. The country used to be one of the most significant producers of cannabis for the European black market.
Beyond the economic interest, the country is also trying to catch up with its neighbors in the Balkans, who have already started a therapeutic cannabis industry, such as Croatia, which became the first Balkan country to legalize medical cannabis in 2015.
