Is CBD Legal in Greece? (Updated March 2019)

Is CBD Legal in Greece?

Drug laws in Greece

Cannabis in Greece is illegal for recreational purposes, but if possession of a small amount is found to be for personal use, it is decriminalized in court. Individuals are arrested, although rarely convicted by court.

Medical Cannabis in Greece.

In June 2017, Greece joined the list of countries where cannabis is legal for therapeutic use. The Greek government approved a ministerial decree that legalizes the importation and trade of cannabis-based pharmaceutical products on advice from the Greek Ministry of Health.

Cannabis would be downgraded from a Table A to a Table B substance (the equivalent of a Class A to Class B shift in the UK) under Greece’s regulatory structure. Effectively, this means cannabis will be recognised as a drug that has accepted medical use in the treatment of certain conditions.

In March 2018, the Greek Parliament approved a law authorizing the cultivation and production of medical cannabis in Greece.

Hemp regulations in Greece

Industrial hemp was banned in Greece in from 1957. 60 years later after the changes in policy regarding medicinal cannabis, Greek producers are now free to plant varieties of cannabis included in a list deemed legal by the European Union which have a THC content lower than 0.2 percent.

Is CBD Oil Legal in Greece?

CBD oil is legal in Greece if it contains less that 0.2% THC. Since the changes in regulation It’s completely legal to cultivate industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa L or hemp) and its by products.

According to the drug code and narcotics law, hemp is excluded from the list of controlled drugs.

http://www.opengov.gr/ministryofjustice/?p=1332

Only the following can be exempted from the provisions of this Act:

(a) the varieties of industrial cannabis listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 796/2004 and the current EU Regulation as well as varieties of industrial cannabis meeting the criteria of Article 39 Regulation (EC) 73/2009 and the then current EU regulation.

the conditions for growing, harvesting, processing and disposal of legal industrial hemp varieties subject to regulatory management device As control and ministries.

(b) products of cannabis varieties with a low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. In particular, for food and drink, in addition to legal licenses and certificates (where required), a test report is required to quantify the content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the product. The inspection report is issued either by an approved laboratory in the country of origin of the product if it is imported from an EU Member State or by a Greek approved laboratory if it comes from indigenous crops or is imported from a non-EU country.

The trade names of these products (possibly related to the word ‘hemp’) and / or the display of part or all of the cannabis plant in their packaging and their advertising do not contribute to the spread of drug use ‘. (google translation)