North Macedonia plans to legalize cannabis

The government of Northern Macedonia is considering legalizing the consumption of cannabis in cafés and hospitality venues in the capital, Skopje, and in other tourist locations, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

«The idea is to allow cannabis consumption in cafés, both existing and new, and in tourist locations, including Skopje, if they meet certain ventilation standards, proof of cannabis origin...,» a declared Zoran Zaev at Deutsche Welle. .

He added that the government is considering strict regulation in this area, using Amsterdam in the Netherlands as an example. The Prime Minister said this was part of the government's planned package of measures to stimulate the economy, which has been hit hard by the COVID health crisis.

Zoran Zaev, who over the past two years has promised a public debate on the issue, warned that his social-democratic government has yet to make a decision and insists that if the majority of the country says no to the idea, he will not go through with it.

The Macedonian Minister of Justice, Bojan Maricic, subsequently declared that he was in favor of initiating a public debate on decriminalization and would like experts and NGOs to be invited to share their opinions.

«Regulating this area can bring several benefits to the country, such as regulating the cannabis trade, reducing crime and of course economic benefits, mainly in the tourism and hotel sectors,» said Bojan Maricic.

Neighbouring Croatia has drafted a proposal for the legalization of cannabis in early 2020 for medical and recreational purposes. The project is currently in the public debate phase.