The Albanian parliament has legalized the cultivation and processing of marijuana for medical purposes, and a law was passed Thursday with an overwhelming majority of 69 votes in an assembly counting 95 lawmakers.
The law defines the regulatory framework for controlling the cultivation and processing of the cannabis plants and the use of by-products for medical and industrial purposes.
Production by private companies will be subject to obtaining a license from the authorities, which will consider the track record and experience of the applicants in this field.
Under the new law, a national agency will be set up to control and monitor the cultivation and processing of medical cannabis and its byproducts, while another agency will be in charge of issuing and monitoring production and processing licenses starting this year. This activity is expected to involve up to 200 hectares of land.
