Albania considers legalizing medical cannabis

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama announced last Friday that the government was preparing a bill to legalize the cultivation of medical cannabis.

At a joint conference with EU ambassador Luigi Soreca, Rama said that the government had been working with foreign and local advisors for a year and that the draft law would be made public soon. He also stressed the importance of learning other countries' experiences with medical cannabis.

«The draft will be available for public debate very soon, as will the one on tax amnesty, which is ready and under discussion with several international institutions,» said Rama, stressing the importance of these discussions.

Following several media requests referring to Rama's statement, the EU delegation in Albania intervened to clarify that it had not been involved «in the preparation, drafting or consultation of any reports concerning plans for the cultivation and legalization of cannabis for medical purposes in Albania».

Pas kërkesave të disa mediave, ne duam të sqarojmë se Komisioni Evropian dhe Delegacioni i BE nuk kanë qenë të përfshirë në përgatitjen, hartimin ose konsultimin e draft raporteve në lidhje me planet për kultivimin dhe legalizimin e kanabisit në Shqipëri për qëllime mjekësore.

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- EU in Albania (@EUinAlbania) May 9, 2020

In addition, the Prime Minister's announcement prompted reactions from the leader of the opposition LSI party, Monika Kryemadhi, who praised the EU delegation for clarifying its flippancy in Rama's «disinformation campaign» and the misuse of the EU's image for purposes related to the electoral process.

A country already specialized in cannabis

At present, possession of cannabis, excluding quantities for personal use, cultivation and transport are illegal in Albania, even for medical purposes. The country is nevertheless a major transit point for drugs in Europe.

In 2014, the police searched and destroys major cannabis plantations in the town of Lazarat, once considered Europe's drug capital. According to government data, the raid destroyed 102 tons of cannabis and 530,000 cannabis plants with an estimated market value of 6.4 billion euros, or more than 60% of GDP. In 2016, almost 800,000 were destroyed. In 2018, the Guardia di Finanza Italy presented a report removing Albania from the map of cannabis cultivation.

«The decline in plantations has been confirmed, with only 27 out of 88 that existed in 2017 identified. There was also a significant drop in the amount of cannabis confiscated in Italy, with almost 81% in one year.», explained Brigadier General Giuseppe Arbore. during the conference.

A recent report by Belgrade Centre for Security Policy concludes however, that the recent coronavirus crisis should lead to an increase in cannabis cultivation in Albania. 613kg of cannabis have also been seized in the north of the country at the start of the pandemic.